Path of a Rogue Warrior
by Sandan1992
Summary: COMPLETE!  A sociopathic killer, a confused warrior, and a selfless hero.  Each has his own motives, his own reasons for doing what he does.  Each has his own role to play and his own destiny to Discover.  Kiota is all three.
1. Prologue

*****Prologue*****

Motives are an interesting thing; opinions are formed and decisions are made based on the motives that others are _thought_ to possess, though one's true motives can truly only be speculated at. The reasons behind an individual's actions can only be known by them alone, and sometimes not even then. We all _think_ we want the same things: wealth, power, companionship, prestige, self worth; but sometimes what we _think_ we want and what we _really_ want, are two completely different things. We focus all our efforts, all our energy into getting what we want, but sometimes in the end, we receive what we wanted without gaining the satisfaction we thought we would. We define ourselves, and others define _us_ by our motives. Good or bad, motives are innate to each individual, decide what we pursue, and how we obtain it.

**(((0)))**

Sali had it all figured out. He wanted to be king and have all the perks associated with it. The sandy colored lion marched at a steady pace through the savannah towards the nearby valley that he knew to be the home of a medium sized pride. He knew what he had to do, the unwritten laws were quite clear. He would find the king, challenge him, kill him, and take the throne. It was a simple task, and if he did it right he would be _king_ by nightfall.

He walked with a ready, almost arrogant stride past several sunbathing lionesses, drawing concerned glances from them. Sali ignored them and continued on to the Pride's main area up ahead. He had spent several weeks in the wilderness preparing for this moment, and the time had finally come. Never again would he bow down to another lion as their _inferior_. He was going to be _king,_ and no one could stop him.

An old gray lion sat atop a large flat stone, clearly expecting the rogue's arrival. Sali came to a stop a few yards away from the king and his pride, and waited to be addressed.

"Hello friend." Began the older lion. "I am King Meda; is there something we could help you with? Food or shelter perhaps?"

Sali resisted the urge to smile at the old lion's naivety and looked around at the ring of lionesses forming around him. "My name is Sali, and I don't want your _hospitality_; I want to challenge you for the _throne_."

Nervous murmurs rumbled through the pride and their sounds fell upon Sali's ears like music. He liked to inspire fear in others, it made him feel _powerful_. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a teenage lion just barely out of cubhood. Unlike the others, the teenager did not show any signs of fear or concern. His eyes were deep with a mix of focus and anger. It was an unsettling stare to say the least, and Sali made a mental note to kill the young lion once his victory was at hand. He didn't want any competition later on down the road.

Once the murmuring had ceased, King Meda continued to address the rouge. "Please, Sali… there is no need for us to fight."

"There is if I am to be _king_."

The old lion sighed deeply. "Very well, I will fight you." With that, he descended his stone perch and approached his attacker slowly. "If you win… I hope that you will be a good ruler."

Sali grinned. "That is _my_ concern." He was about to attack the old lion when movement from his left made him turn.

"Please," began the approaching lioness. ""Don't do this; we don't _want_ you as our king."

Before she could take another step forward, Sali struck her across the jaw with enough force to send her sprawling backwards. He took pleasure in the gasp that erupted from the pride; if he was going to be their king, they were going to have to get used to his leadership style.

Meda growled angrily at Sali before lunging out at him aggressively. They younger rogue easily sidestepped the overextended attack and struck out, drawing deep gashes in the king's side. Before Meda could recover, Sali tackled the wounded lion to the ground and landed several more blows to subdue him.

The elder lion looked up at his challenger from his defeated position. He could feel his blood flowing out from his many wounds and his experience told him that his death was imminent.

Sali grinned broadly at his victory as he raised his paw over his head, claws unsheathed, to deliver the finishing blow. "I thought you would put up _more_ of a fight than thi- _Oooff_!"

A golden blur knocked Sali from his victory and sent him rolling across the ground. He rose from the dirt in a sudden rage, searching desperately for the dead-man that had interfered. His eyes met a sharply focused stare that seemed to bore into him relentlessly. Sali stared in amazement as the teenage lion from the crowd took up a surprisingly _good_ fighting stance. The rogue quickly realized what had just happened.

"You little _BRAT_!" he roared angrily. "You just couldn't stand to see your daddy LOSE, now _could_ you!"

The teen's expression didn't change. "He's not my father. The reason that I'm going to kill you is that you struck my mother."

Sali shrugged as casually as he could. He hadn't known that the lioness he had struck was his mother, but it didn't really matter. "I was going to kill you anyways." He said as he lunged out, expecting the younger lion to try to dodge his larger mass. Instead, though, the teen met him head on, surprising Sali with his aggressiveness. He tried to get his footing, but the unexpected counter made Sali trip and stumble backwards. He tried to block the surprisingly strong blows, but most penetrated the rogue's defenses. Sali roared in pain as his flesh tore and his legs collapsed under his weight. He lay on the ground as more brutal hits found their mark and he grew weaker and weaker. The pain soon began to fade and Sali's face relaxed. His limbs ceased their thrashing and he lay still.

The pride stared with a mix of shock and amazement as their youngest member continued to beat the rogue's bloody corpse. He struck again and again in some frantic attempt to punish the already dead lion. Eventually, the young lion slowed his frenzy and stepped back to view his kill. He was so fixated on the body that he didn't even notice when his mother came to stand beside him.

"Kiota…" she began softly as if she was unsure if he was listening. "You may have just saved our pride from a nightmare. You did the right thing."

The teenage lion nodded numbly in response, but didn't otherwise move.

Several lionesses helped King Meda to his feet. Though he was severely wounded, the old lion managed to hobble to Kiota's side. He stayed there for several moments, staring at the corpse with the younger lion. "I owe you my life, Kiota, and I am very grateful for what you did."

He nodded again, just as numbly. A glazed look had fallen over his eyes and he seemed to look past the bloody body.

"I know how it feels to kill another lion for the first time, and I know it doesn't feel good. You probably feel _guilty_ and even a little _disgusted_ by what you did, but I _assure_ you that you did the right thing… for _all_ of us."

Kiota blinked and looked up to his king with a somewhat baffled look. "I-I don't know what to say…" he said quietly.

"You don't need to say anything. Go rest; you have earned it."

The teen nodded and walked off to a secluded spot under a nearby overhang, stealing a last glance at the rogue's lifeless body. He lay himself down in the shade of the rock and began to think about what he had done… more importantly, _why_ he had done it. The facts were unchanging; he had killed the rogue that had threatened his family… that was _good_ wasn't it? Kiota shook his head confusedly. His emotions were all wrong… at least according to what King Meda had told him. He didn't feel at all guilty, or the slightest bit of revulsion. He felt _good._ It wasn't that he had _killed_ the lion, the blood and guts didn't interest him in the slightest, but what made him so thrilled was the challenge of it all. That was why he had done it in the first place. True, he didn't like the Rogue's intentions or how he had struck his mother, but what really drove him to attack the invader was _himself_. It was a challenge; one that he had never faced before. He wanted to know if he had the skill and capability to beat Sali, and he was willing to risk his _life_ to find out. In hindsight it appeared quite foolish to throw himself at the rogue, but the _energy_ he felt now! The _achievement!_ For the first time in his young life, he felt _truly ALIVE! _He wanted more. Kiota wanted to know how far he could push himself against other challengers. _He wanted another fight_.

**(((0)))**

Motives are an interesting thing because they drive common individuals to do uncommon things. We may be misled by our desires into thinking that we want something that we really don't, but it is nonetheless one of, if not _the,_ most powerful feelings to have. We are only limited by our motivation; it is the body that follows the mind, and without a powerful motivation, we can never achieve our full potential… whatever that may be.

*****Author's Note*****

**This is the intro to my next story that I'll be starting shortly. For those of you who have been spoiled by my almost **_**daily**_** updates of 3000 word chapters, this will be a serious disappointment for you. Football has started and school is soon to follow. The free time that I had this summer had dissipated as quickly as it materialized. So, I apologize in advance for slow updates, though I will do my best to keep it at least weekly.**

**Anyways, I like reviews and it really makes my day to read them, so PLEASE REVIEW AND COMMENT! If you like it and want more, you have the RESPONSIBILITY to COMMENT! You don't need an account to leave a remark on my stories, so please do!**

**-Ben**


	2. PART 1: RISE OF KIOTA Chapter 1

*****Chapter 1*****

_**"Do not sleep under a roof. Carry no money or food. Go alone to places frightening to the common brand of men. Become a criminal of purpose. Be put in jail, and extricate yourself by your own wisdom."**_

**(((0)))**

The wilderness was a dangerous place to most and one to be avoided at all costs. If one was suddenly made pride-less and a rogue, the first objective for most was to find a new home and escape the vast wilderness as quickly as possible. Though there were many stories of monstrous rogues and killer animals, the true fear of the wilderness was not due to its physical danger. Lions of all types and backgrounds dreaded the rough country because of its true nature. _Isolation._ It was true that there were dangers to be faced, but they were generally few and far between. Far more likely than a crocodile attack was a fall down an unseen slope and a broken leg. Without the care of a pride's shaman, the victim faced certain death of the worst kind. Slow, painful, and above all, _alone_. When faced with death, even the most introverted loner would pray for someone's help, care, and kindness. Kiota was the exception. He thrived not only in isolation, but in the face of death.

It was early morning and the grass, still wet with dew, brushed across his fur softly. The wilderness did not frighten him as it did most lions; he was different. He had discovered a long time ago that Pride-life wasn't for him; he was simply too restless. Ever since he had killed Sali almost a year earlier, he had wanted something _more_ than what a Pride could offer him. He had soon become a rogue in the wilderness; traveling from kingdom to kingdom with the same motives each time. Today was no different.

This Pride existed in a small forest on the banks of a fast- paced river and was home to what he estimated to be around twenty or so lions and lionesses. It was a rather well- off place that was almost out of place in the surrounding wastelands. It had been extremely difficult for Kiota to travel through the boulder fields to the west, but he had done it ably. Now, after a good night's rest, he headed into the Pride's land with his mission in mind.

As he neared their main area, he began to attract the expected attention. He walked past surprised lionesses and ignored their confused stares. For Kiota, this was all routine; he had even forgotten exactly how many times he had done this before. This was at least the seventh time, maybe even the eighth. It didn't matter either way; he wasn't after numbers, Kiota wanted the intangible.

An angry growl split the crisp morning air and a middle aged lion leapt from a nearby rock. Judging by how he carried himself and the others' reaction to his movement, Kiota assumed he was the King.

"_Who_ are you and _what_ are you doing in our lands?" the supposed king demanded dangerously.

Kiota bowed lowly, but never took his eyes off the lion. "You are the king?"

"I am King Faru."

"Are you the strongest?"

Faru blinked suprisedly at the unusual question. "I am the King for other reasons as well, but _yes_…" he replied slowly. "You never answered my question, though."

The rogue nodded. "My name is Kiota, and I'm here for _you_."

The king blinked again, this time in confusion. "You are _challenging_ me?"

Kiota nodded and looked around at the lionesses that were beginning to circle around them. He smiled inwardly as history inevitably repeated itself. No matter where he went, whether it was his old home or a small desert pride, the lionesses always came running at the first sign of violence. For reasons he could only guess at, they loved the fight.

"I accept the challenge," Faru hissed. "But I warn you… I _will_ kill you."

Kiota nodded neutrally with unsettling calmness. "I would expect nothing less."

Faru looked over his challenger for a moment, trying to gauge the threat. Kiota was unusual to say the least. The golden lion was an adult, but still young and without the usual nervousness that most rogues had. Faru had fought off many challengers before, and a consistent trait that he had noticed was that of desperation and impatience. Kiota was not at all impatient, nor was he desperate. He just _stood_ there, as calmly as if he had just asked for directions rather than a fight to the _death_. It was bizarre to Faru, and he didn't like it one bit. The thing that bothered him the most was the eyes. Unlike his body language, Kiota's eyes were _filled_ with purpose. Whatever he wanted, he wasn't nervous and he wasn't desperate… he just was _determined_ to have it.

"I'm ready whenever you are, Faru." Kiota stated calmly to the aggravated king.

"Well so am _I._" He responded in a near whisper. "Maybe you should _attack_."

Kiota nodded and stared blankly at the king for several moments from only about ten yards away. Suddenly and without warning, he let out a fierce roar and lunged forward towards Faru. In a flash, the golden lion was barraging the king with blows from all directions. He growled and snarled as he struck, his face the perfect picture of rage and determination. Faru tried to maintain his defense, but Kiota's dramatic change in behavior had greatly surprised him. Despite the king's experience in dealing with rogues, he found himself backing up in unprecedented retreat. He roared in anger and struck out at Kiota's face, only to have his blow be blocked easily to the side. In a single fluid motion, the same paw that knocked away Faru's strike slid up his arm and across his collarbone with its claws exposed. Faru gasped as the claws passed across his neck and followed through to his other shoulder.

At first, he thought the claws had completely missed him; after all, he felt no pain. Then he saw the blood. Faru stared down at the vast amount of blood that poured from his neck onto the dry ground. He looked up to see Kiota standing a few yards away, the fury gone from his face. The calm and patient lion had returned and now watched with neutrality as the king died.

"Huh…" Faru said blankly as if he had suddenly realized something profound. It was the last thing he uttered before he collapsed to the ground in the final and permanent sleep of death.

Kiota nodded to himself and turned away from the corpse. The body didn't interest him… it never did. He looked to the crowd of mortified lionesses for a moment before speaking.

"If you have any food, I'd appreciate it."

One of the ones closest to him nodded numbly as a silent tear slid down her face. "Y-yes… _Sire_." She said quietly as she gestured to a Zebra corpse not too far away.

Kiota walked over to the kill and began to eat his fill. While he ate, he was vaguely aware of a funeral proceeding behind him for the pride's late king. He could hear the quiet sobs and cries of distraught lionesses as they said their final goodbye's to their fallen leader. To most it would have been heartbreaking, but Kiota felt no sympathy for them. He had fought Faru on even terms with his consent, the king had known the risk when he entered the fight, and the price had been paid. He _understood_ their grief, he simply didn't _care_. Even when the now orphaned teenage prince approached his deceased father, Kiota continued to eat his meal without so much as a blink.

Once he had eaten his fill, Kiota turned away back in the direction from which he had come past a group of teary-eyed lionesses. He walked past them without as much as a glance.

"Where are _you_ going?" one demanded with a mix of anger and confusion.

"I'm _leaving_." Kiota replied as he stopped to address the lioness.

She blinked suprisedly. "What? What do you mean that you're leaving?"

"I'm leaving."

"But… But you're the king now."

Kiota allowed a small smile to cross his face as he shrugged. "I don't want to be _king_. You all can keep your pride." With that, he turned and continued down his path, leaving the lioness staring at him blankly in shock. It was like this every time he left a beaten Pride, everyone expected him to take the throne as any other Rogue would, but he wouldn't. Kiota didn't want power or family or anything like that. He wanted the _intangible_.

He walked out into the open savannah that he had passed through only a short while earlier on his way to fight Faru. The landscape hadn't changed, but to Kiota, _everything_ was different. The colors were more vibrant, the air was sweeter, his steps were lighter, and his mind was sharper. It was always like this after he fought and he loved it. In order to feel truly _alive_, he had to risk _life_ itself. But it was also more than that. It was about the challenge and the unknown. It was what separated him from others; when most avoided the unknown for fear of what it could bring, Kiota pursued it at all costs in order to find out_ just_ how far he could go. So far, he hadn't found his limit, and was therefore incomplete. He wanted a new challenge… perhaps the larger kingdoms to the east could offer him a more worthy opponent. Up until now he had been traveling among the small to medium sized Prides and challenging the best they could offer, and each time he defeated them easily. It was beginning to bore him; he needed a new fight, one that would truly test him and show him some of his weaknesses. When he killed his opponent too quickly, he learned nothing about himself or fighting in general, and _learning_ was really what it was all about. The more he learned about fighting, the farther he would be able to push himself, and the longer he would live. Kiota loved life, more than most did. He loved it so much that he was willing to kill in order to enjoy it.

*****Author's Note*****

**An interesting character, is he not? Some feedback would be nice on Kiota, he's my first… for lack of a better word, "**_**Villain**_**" Protagonist. I don't own any of the quotes that will appear in the beginning of this, and future chapters. As far as their origins… It will be revealed in due time.**

**REVIEW AND COMMENT!**

**-Ben**


	3. Part 1: Chapter 2

*****Chapter 2*****

"_**You win battles by knowing the enemy's timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect… All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discern this."**_

**(((0)))**

_"Kiota?"_

The intruder nodded calmly in the face of the king.

"_The _Kiota?"

He blinked. "My reputation precedes me?"

The king looked around nervously at his pride who all looked back with concern. Muttering prevailed throughout the crowd.

It was a larger pride that he had arrived at that morning, but still not quite at the same level of the huge kingdoms that he was traveling towards. For now, it was fine for Kiota; this pride was on the way to his destinations, so he saw no harm in stopping at these prides for some extra fights. Truly, he doubted to find any significant fighters, but there was always a chance. Besides, a little extra experience never hurt. If nothing else, the fight would maintain his skills so that when he _did_ face a worthy opponent, he wouldn't die due to a lack of practice. Kiota resumed his attention onto the Pride as King Nario began to speak.

"We have heard stories… of a lion by the name of _Kiota._ They say that he kills the head of prides for _entertainment_… that he ruins prides and then leaves for the next kingdom. Are you_ that_ Kiota?"

An almost imperceptible smile crossed Kiota's face as he thought about what he had said. It was amusing and almost flattering to have a reputation. He liked it. "Yes, I am _that_ Kiota."

King Nario's expression darkened. "Is that why you are here? To kill me?"

"No," Kiota said plainly, drawing a glimmer of hope from the Pride. "I'm here to _fight_ you. I _hope_ that I win, but we'll see I suppose."

Nario frowned. "I do not want to fight you, Kiota… Please don't do this."

"If you don't want to fight, you can simply forfeit."

The Pride all looked at Kiota for a moment, then back to their king to see his answer.

He took a deep breath before answering. "I will not forfeit."

"Then you accept my challenge?"

"I beg you not to challenge me in the first place."

Kiota chuckled quietly to himself at the king's attitude. "If you are trying to save _face_, then you shouldn't be _begging_ me not to kill you, your highness. It's unbecoming of a leader such as yourself."

A flash of anger crossed Nario's face as he heard the insult, but quickly controlled it. "I will _not_ forfeit to you."

"Then we _will_ fight."

Movement from the corner of his eye made Kiota look to the side. A teenage lioness emerged from the crowd and stood in between him and the King.

"_Please!" _ She begged him. "Don't kill my daddy!"

Kiota blinked in surprise. This little side stop had turned out to be quite different indeed. First the king neither accepts nor declines the challenge, then this teen lioness stands in his way. He shrugged inwardly. There was a first time for everything, he supposed.

"Kya!" Nario exclaimed. "Go back with your mother; it isn't safe here!"

She turned to look at her father with worried eyes. "But daddy… He's going to _kill_ you!"

"I'll be fine, Kya… now go!"

She nodded and left reluctantly, stealing a final glance at Kiota. Her eyes were interesting… they reminded him of something familiar. They were the same eyes that he saw when he looked into a calm pool of water… _She had the same look of determination that his own eyes did._ Curious to say the least, but otherwise irrelevant. Kiota returned his attention to King Nario.

"So what will it be, your highness?" he repeated his challenge. "Will you accept… or forfeit."

Nario sighed deeply and hung his head low. "I _accept_." He said quietly as he approached his challenger.

Kiota's eyes narrowed in anticipation. "_Good._" He ignored a muffled whimper of the princess as he began to circle the king slowly.

Nario stood his ground and waited for the expected attack. Kiota moved strangely, almost unpredictably. His steps were uneven, yet planned. Just when Nario expected him to lunge out, the rogue instead pulled back and changed his rhythm. Suddenly, in mid-step, Kiota kicked off the ground and tackled Nario to the floor. The attack was expected, but his irregular movement had made it nearly impossible to predict. Nario tried to push Kiota away with his hind legs, but he was severely disadvantaged. Kiota's claws raked across his shoulders like angry knives, pulling a pained growl from the king's throat. He tried to swing back, but Kiota dodged back and allowed his paw to pass harmlessly by.

With Kiota backing off from his strike, Nario tried to get to his feet. As soon as his paw hit the ground, he was knocked back again into the dirt. This time, Kiota had his paws pressed into the king's shoulders in a solid pin. Unlike some fighters who would have paused to revel in their victory, Kiota instantly slid his claws horizontally in a flash, slicing open the lion's throat.

Nario gasped, then started to choke on his own blood. The pride around him echoed his gasp and stared with horrified expressions. Kiota removed himself calmly from the dying lion and turned away as he always did. The fight was over, and he was done with his opponent. He started off towards the open savannah, this time not even bothering to take some food from the nearby kill. He had caught a zebra earlier that morning, and he knew right where he had left it.

Kya ran to her father's side with tears running down her face. "Daddy!" she cried.

Her father looked at her with urgent eyes, but was unable to speak due to his wound. He placed a reassuring paw on her shoulder and nodded slowly. Kya just buried her head into his shoulder and cried. She could feel his pulse slow and his breathing become shallower. Soon, his paw went limp and fell from her shoulder to the cold ground. Kya just continued to cry into his fur, wishing for some divine salvation that she knew would never come. After a few moments, her mother pulled her away into a tight embrace.

"It w-will be okay, Kya." She whispered through sobs of her own.

Over her mother's shoulder, Kya watched as her father's killer left. The sight of him sickened her to the core and made her want to puke. _How could he have killed her father?_ He was a good king and an even better father… but Kiota had just treated him like _prey!_ Fresh tears began to fall as she looked back to her deceased father. He looked so peaceful, but it was a peace that she hated; the peace of death.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

After he had found his kill from earlier, Kiota continued across the open savannah towards the larger Prides. He tried to analyze the fight as best he could, but there wasn't much to analyze. Nario had responded just as he had expected him to, and he had died just as he had anticipated. His changing timing _had_ worked well, so he was pleased with that. After a few times against some lesser fighters, he would have it down quite well so that his timing changed and was seemingly irregular. Timing, he knew, was _essential_ to victory. It was the difference between a killing strike and a blocked effort. The difference between life and death.

The days passed as they usually did out in the wilderness, slowly. Generally, Kiota preferred to travel by night and sleep in the day to avoid the midday heat, but lately the weather had been rather cool. Nario's pride had been the last for quite a while before he would arrive at the larger kingdoms; for the next several days he would have to live off the land in complete solitude, not that it wasn't a common practice for him. The real challenge would be to fight off the boredom. Typically, Kiota liked to have at least one fight a week, but out here there was no one to fight except the animals that he hunted. Boredom was a killer, for sure.

He traveled in quiet solitude along a gently flowing river that he knew would lead him to the largest of the nearby prides. If nothing else, the slow motion of the water was more entertaining than endless savannah grass. It was near midday when a roar split the quiet air. Kiota looked up sharply to his side and waited for more. Soon enough, more roars came from over a nearby hill. Without much forethought, Kiota started off to find the source of the yells.

He reached the top of the hill and looked down over the flatlands that lay before him with awe. Across the landscape lay countless corpses of all types. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and even a few exotic types like panthers. Small teams patrolled the field, searching for survivors. Occasionally they would help a wounded fighter up, but more commonly they would finish off a nearly dead enemy. The helpless warriors often let out an angry roar of protest, what Kiota must have heard from afar, before their lives were ended.

It was a dizzying sight, one that Kiota had never seen before. The smell of blood permeated the air and a strange stillness hovered over the corpses. He didn't care much for the bodies themselves, but the image that they painted of a massive battle only a few hours earlier made him giddy with excitement. Surely in the massive armies that lay before him there was someone that would prove to be a better fighter than those he had already defeated.

A grouping of assorted cats patrolled nearby. At risk of being attacked by them, he approached them from the side. When he neared them, one of the nearest lions turned to face him.

"Stop!" he said authoritatively.

Kiota obeyed, he didn't want to fight them just _yet_.

The group turned together to face him. A large cheetah looked him over for several moments before speaking. "Are you a fighter?"

Kiota nodded.

"Who do you fight for?"

He shrugged. "I am my own master." Kiota looked back across the battlefield. "What happened here?"

The cheetah waved away the rest of the group to continue their searching for survivors. Once they had left, he returned his attention to Kiota. "There was a battle between the Toyo and the Kugo prides. We won." He said smugly.

"And who is _we?"_

"The Toyo pride of course!" he said suprisedly as if Kiota had suggested something preposterous. "Toyo has _us_ after all."

"And who _are_ you?"

The cheetah glared at him. "I am Shinmen, leader of the Vita Mercenaries."

Kiota blinked. "You were _hired_ to fight here?"

Shinmen grinned. "King Toyo doesn't like to leave his battles up to chance. He picked us because we are the _best!_"

"The _best?_" Maybe _these_ were the fighters he was looking for. Someone who actually knew what they were doing.

Shinmen nodded, but became a bit more closed off as he realized how much he was saying to a complete stranger. "And _who_ are you?"

"My name is Kiota… I was traveling to the Toyo Pride."

"_Kiota_?" Shinmen squinted his eyes and looked at the rogue quizzically. "The rogue warrior?"

Kiota grinned inwardly; he found it interesting how quickly word seemed to spread. "Yes… I was looking for a new challenge."

The cheetah nodded slowly. We _might_ be able to help you out, I think."

The offer was intriguing, but Kiota resisted the urge to plunge headfirst into it. "How so?"

"King Toyo is always looking for new troops, as are we." Shinmen began to examine his claws casually. "Right now, the Vita mercenaries are a little _too_ big for my taste, but if Toyo thinks that you can help, maybe you could join _us._"

Kiota nodded slowly as he contemplated the offer. "So if I prove myself to Toyo… I could get the chance to fight in a battle as a Vita mercenary?"

Shinmen nodded. "Assuming that everything that we've heard about you is _true_."

"Alright…" Kiota agreed. Truthfully, he didn't like the idea of being attached to this group of mercenaries, but they offered a quick path to a battle. He wanted to fight _them_ as well, but a battle seemed more appealing than a quick duel against this Cheetah. He had never experienced a battle before, and it would surely be interesting for him to partake in it. Unlike most lions, Kiota craved the unknown rather than feared it. It was a new chance to push himself and test his combat skills. On a battlefield, there was _bound_ to be a lot of good fighters.

Shinmen looked curiously at the lion, trying to figure out his perspective. "We're leaving in the morning for Toyo's land. You can travel with us until we arrive."

"_Good._" He said quietly. "The sooner we get there, the better."

*****Author's Note*****

**Hope that you are all reading the quotes at the beginning of each chapter; they **_**do**_** have significance and relevance, though I won't tell you how yet. If you think that you know what I'm getting at with them, feel free to guess! Stay tuned and watch for updates.**

**REVIEW AND COMMENT!**

**-Ben**


	4. Part 1: Chapter 3

*****Chapter 3*****

"_**Generally speaking, the Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death" **_

**(((0)))**

The Vita Mercenaries were interesting individuals as far as Kiota was concerned. He watched them quietly as they conducted their evening after-battle _celebration_ so to speak. The whole lot of them were quite dirty and ill-kept, some of them even seemed to carry diseases. He didn't doubt that some of them were able fighters, but Shinmen's original claim to be the '_best'_ was clearly untrue. Another thing that bothered him was their greed. Kiota usually didn't mind it when people pursued what they desired, but this was a bit much, even for him. When the mercenaries weren't fighting amongst themselves for scraps of meat, they were bragging about their battle prowess and fantasizing about the riches that they would win for their actions. It was not a lifestyle that Kiota wished to pursue, but they _were_ his quickest ticket to battle. He figured that it would probably be a bit beneficial to have _some_ allies on his first few fights. The last thing that he wanted was to be surrounded by worthless fighters, but still lose simply due to their numbers. If he was to die, Kiota at least wanted it to be at the hands of a _worthy_ foe.

"Hey Rogue!" one of the lions called over to him.

Kiota raised his head, but did not speak.

"So yous just _figured_ that you'd hitch a-dere ride wit us up to the T-toyo Kingdom?"

Kiota was silent for a moment as he evaluated the lion.

"What… You think dat you're _b-better dan us?"_

He smiled inwardly as he realized that the poor creature had suffered a deep wound on his back leg. He was no doubt under some sort of drug to help with the pain. "Don't worry about me." He said quietly as he rose from his resting place. He walked away from the mercanaries' gathering place and sat alone under the stars. They were an amazing sight to behold… but Kiota found it unsettling. Unlike most, who found the stars to be a reassuring sign of the kings of the past, Kiota saw only the ones he had killed. After all, many of them had been kings; if the stories were true, there were a bunch of angry lions waiting for him on the other side.

Kiota shook the thoughts from his head. He had to remind himself that he _didn't _believe in all those stories. Nothing that he had seen indicated that there was a superior being, or a big _'plan'._ No, he decided, it was just him. There was no one watching over him, just as there was no one watching over any of the lions that he had killed. The victories were his, and his alone. He had no teacher, no master, no guidance at all. Everything that he was, he had done himself, and there was _no_ way that he was going to thank some farfetched story of dead kings for his success.

He stopped for a moment and realized that the noise from the campsite had died down. The mercenaries must have finally ended their '_celebration'_ and gone to sleep. Kiota released a deep sigh and headed off to find his sleeping spot, assuming that it hadn't been taken while he was sitting out under the stars. They were a detestable bunch, but he knew that he would have to tolerate them… at least for now.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

They were nearing the Toyo kingdom when dark storm clouds arrived. The formerly hot and humid savannah quickly turned into a cold and wet environment. Despite the weather, the mercenaries continued their march towards the Toyo lands; they would be able to dry off when they arrived.

"Gotta love this, eh Kiota?" Shinmen said as he fell into step alongside the rogue.

"It hides our movement pretty well." He remarked neutrally.

Shinmen shrugged. "I guess, but we aren't exactly trying to be stealthy."

"It's better than the heat."

"It's too _wet_."

"It's refreshing."

The cheetah blinked. "Why do you have to be so _optimistic? _This _Sucks!"_

Kiota smiled inwardly at being called an optimist. "It will _always_ suck, but I can't change the weather. Might as well appreciate it for what it offers."

A barely perceptible growl escaped from Shinmen's throat. "We'll see how you think after a few battles."

Kiota raised an eyebrow, but didn't press an explanation for the comment.

"Why are you _here?_" The mercenary asked suddenly.

"The same reason you are, I want to fight."

"I don't want to _fight!_" Shinmen snorted. "I want to get the _rewards_ from fighting."

The Rogue nodded as he thought about what he had said. Maybe these mercenaries were decent fighters, but they weren't the opponents he was looking for. He wanted a fight against someone who actually _cared_ about fighting. Someone who understood the… for lack of a better word, _joy_ of combat as he did.

"When do you expect to get those rewards?"

"When we get back to Toyo's Pride, we'll get what we've earned." He replied smugly. "Speaking of Toyo… we're here."

Kiota looked from the Mercenary and into the dense rain. Though it was dark, rainy, and even a little foggy, he could make out the outline of a massive rock formation. It spread across the landscape as if some divine being had crushed a massive stone in the sky and allowed the shattered fragments to land haphazardly onto the ground below. It was truly a marvel of defense. The boulders created tunnels, walls, and positions that would be very easily defended. Among some of the rocks, Kiota could just barely see patrolling lions that made their way up and down the formation.

They neared the structure's wall and a handful of guards came out to meet them.

"Vita Mercenaries?" one of them asked dryly, as if their presence was commonplace.

Shinmen grinned at the recognition. "Indeed we _are_. Here to see King Toyo."

The guard nodded and gestured them to follow him.

Kiota followed the merc's lead and walked in silence through a maze of tunnels, paths, and walkways. The rain found its way through the rocks overhead and dripped onto them in concentrated drops filled with any dirt that was on the rocks. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but it was what it was.

Within several minutes, they arrived at a massive overhang that sheltered them all from the wetness. A host of lions sat in groups under the massive stone, but one in particular stood out. He sat above the others on a large and flat rock. From his perch, he watched everything that surrounded him and listened intently to several others that were speaking to him about something of apparent importance. When he caught sight of the mercenaries' arrival, he quickly dismissed the speakers and made way for Shinmen and the rest.

The mercenary Cheetah approached the king's throne and bowed lowly. Kiota stayed back with the rest of the soldiers of fortune.

"Shinmen…" began Toyo slowly. "Since you have returned, I will assume that the battle is done?"

"Yes Sire. We defeated King Kugo's army quite easily."

Toro nodded unsurely. Kugo has a very large force… are you sure that they were _all_ defeated?"

"No. We think that we met only about _half_ of the army… my sources tell me that the others are closer to Kugo's lands."

Toyo sighed, clearly aggravated by the news. "Very well…" he gestured to the side. "Here is your _payment_ as promised."

A lioness stepped aside to reveal a pile of freshly killed animals. From where he stood, Kiota could see multiple zebra, antelope, waterbuffalo, and even a wildebeest. It was a diverse and plentiful feast to say the least, and the Vita Mercenaries hurried over with rushed enthusiasm to get their fill. Kiota remained where he stood, a few paces behind Shinmen.

"Oh yea…" the cheetah added as he noticed Kiota. "King Toyo, this is Kiota."

"Kiota…" Toyo looked over the rogue with interest for several moments. "I believe that I've heard of you, Kiota… they say that you go from pride to pride, searching for fights."

Kiota nodded neutrally. "I do."

"I thought you would be bigger… and _older_." The king snorted with a tinge of distaste. "What is it that you want from me? A challenge?"

"I was hoping to join your mercenaries in a battle."

Toyo blinked with surprise. "You want to fight for me?"

"No, I want to fight in one of your battles with the Vita Mercenaries; not _for_ anyone."

The king nodded slowly as he contemplated the offer. "Fair enough… but I have enough mediocre fighters at hand around here. Will you accept a challenge so that we can see you ability?"

Kiota was unable to hide a grin. "Certainly."

Toyo nodded to a lion at his side, and the medium sized male approached the rogue. He lunged out quickly at Kiota, and though it was a bit sooner than he had expected, Kiota easily sidestepped the attack. From his new position, he struck out into the guard's unprotected side. For good measure, he ripped diagonally across and upwards toward his neck. The lion gasped in shock and collapsed onto the floor. Several of the other guards rushed to his side and began to treat him while Kiota stepped back.

King Toyo just looked at him with surprise. "I didn't expect you to defeat him so easily… who trained you?"

Kiota paused for a moment to contemplate the question. "Who _trained_ me?"

"Yes, who were your teachers?"

"I have no teacher. I taught myself."

"You taught _yourself_…" Toyo echoed as he eyed the now convulsing guard as he bled out. "Well, as much as I dislike the fact that you killed my guard, I cannot resist allowing you to fight with my troops. If you wish to stay with the Vita Mercenaries, that's fine, just make sure that you are fighting."

Kiota bowed politely. "Thank you for the opportunity, Sire."

Toyo nodded and waved him away to dismiss the conversation and Kiota turned to leave. He almost ran into Shinmen who was standing directly behind him.

"Well _that_ went well." he said smugly.

"I'm all set now?" he asked to make sure.

The cheetah nodded. "Yes. When we ship off again tomorrow you will come with us. I still need to check with King Toyo, but I'm anticipating a battle closer to the Kugo kingdom.

"Is it far?"

"Not too far. It's closer than the battle we just came from."

"Good."

Shinmen grinned at the Rogue's enthusiasm. "Enough talk; let's go get our _payment_." He said as he gestured to the pile of fresh kills. By then, the rest of the mercenaries had eaten quite deeply into the pile, but there was still more than enough for the rest of them.

"So now what do we do?" he asked Shinmen.

"We have a little _fun_ until we leave!" the mercenary said eagerly.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The next morning the mercs headed out a bit later than they had originally planned. Kiota and the rest of Toyo's force had been ready at sunrise, but the mercenaries had spent most of the night carrying on. For the rogue, it had been incredibly annoying; he had been approached countless times by lionesses looking for someone to spend the night with. He found it quite disgusting, but the other soldiers were more than willing to participate. Kiota didn't care much for lionesses; sure he found them attractive and appealing as any male did, but that was why he disliked them. They distracted him and left him vulnerable. In such a crowded environment, Kiota preferred to have his back to the wall and be able to see everything that was happening. He doubted that anyone would try to kill him here, but the presence of so many fighters was enough to keep him on guard.

Now that it was the morning after, he felt fine. He had gone to sleep at the usual time while everyone else had stayed up to enjoy the night and now they were paying the price with exhaustion. Kiota watched with vague amusement as the fatigued mercenaries tripped over their own feet and hung their head low while they marched towards the battle. Even Shinmen had gone a little too far and was showing signs of his tiredness.

"You were probably the smart one last night…" he said irritably.

Kiota nodded. "Everyone needs to sleep."

"Shut up."

"You were the one who started the conversation."

"Shut up, rogue." He said as he closed his eyes in irritation. "You've only said two sentences and you're already giving me a headache."

"What did you expect from last night?"

"Shut. Up. Kiota." The cheetah groaned.

"Fine. But are we at least almost there?"

He nodded. "Almost. My guess is Kugo set up in the valley farther ahead to wait for us."

"When we ge-"

"Please…" Shinmen cut him off. "I really don't want to talk to you right now."

Kiota nodded and was silent. If these mercs were going to be fighting alongside him in a couple of hours, he wanted them to be ready to do so. Dying because of someone else's mistake was not something that he wanted to do.

They traveled for some time longer through the still cloudy landscape. The rain had stopped since the night before, but the dreary feeling still persisted. Soon enough, they arrived at the battlefield and started to organize. About a quarter mile away was the enemy ranks, securely positioned between two large hills. Kiota followed Shinmen around, not really sure where to go. Eventually, he ended up in the center of Toyo's force with Shinmen's personal team, the part that would receive the most fighting.

"Toyo wants to be sure that the center is won, that's why he put _us_ here." the cheetah remarked somewhat arrogantly.

Kiota nodded, but didn't respond. Truthfully, he highly doubted that their superior fighting skills were the reason that they were placed in the center. Rather, that Toyo just wanted to keep his own troops out of the fighting as much as possible. Besides, the less of the mercenaries that survived, the less he would have to pay. It was war, and Kiota didn't care about who was where or who did what. All he wanted was to get some combat action, and this was the best way to do it.

While they were waiting for the battle to begin, Kiota rested under a tree with several other soldiers.

"I'm getting _pumped_ for this." Said one merc excitedly. "We're gonna kill 'em all!"

"Or," responded another, "We're going to get killed _ourselves_."

Anger flashed across the first's face. "Hey! It's thinking like that that's going to get you killed!"

"It's true." He countered. "It's war… people die."

Kiota snorted. "Everyone dies."

"Well I don't want to right now."

The first merc pushed his friend. "You are _not_ going to die! Get over it!"

The lion appeared to be a little more reassured, but Kiota wasn't. The lion's concern was rightly placed; it _was_ war and there are deaths in war. To think that you are invulnerable to such violence was more than just naïve, it was _dangerous_. Kiota thought back to all of his challenges and tried to recall his feelings. In every one, he decided, he had almost _planned_ for death. He had approached the king _expecting_ to be killed; that was how he had fought without fear or reserve. _No_, he decided, in order to fight well, the presence of death had to be acknowledged and respected. If it was neglected, it would find you and defeat you.

"COME ON YOU GRUNTS!" Shinmen suddenly shouted from afar. "We're moving out!"

Kiota and the mercenaries rose from their resting spots and lined up to face their enemies across the field. Aside from a few growls of anticipation, the lines were silent while they waited for further instructions.

Kiota eyed the opposition intently, though they were really too far away to make out any details. He had to think that there were some decent fighters in the opposing ranks that would offer him a good challenge. He clenched his paws and clawed the dirt with anticipation. _This was what he wanted_.

"LET'S GO!" Shinmen shouted as he waved his paw through the air in unison with other leaders farther down the line.

The lines of troops began their march forward and Kiota went with them at the front of the group. They started off at a slow walk and gradually picked up momentum as they neared Kugo's troops. Soon, they were in a dead run towards the other army that was sprinting at an equally fast pace. An instant before they clashed, a though crossed Kiota's mind: _I'm going to die._ It wasn't a thought of fear or anger or of _any _emotion, for that matter. He accepted the fact with determination and resolve; he accepted the fact with neutrality and focus. It did not _weaken_ him, instead it made him _stronger_.

*****Author's Note*****

**Thanks for all the reviews everyone, I don't thank you enough for them. As far as the quotes go, a lot of you are close with them being like Sun Tzu and being overall summaries, but it **_**does**_** go deeper than that. I'll explain in a few chapters, so be patient.**

**Here's and interesting fact****: 98% of people have a truly 'phobic' fear of violence, meaning that if I took a machete to a random person in a crowded room, 98% of everyone would have an excessive fear of the event and be very vulnerable to psychological damage because of it the event. It is a healthy and natural response, but it leaves out 2%. 1% of the remaining 2% are sociopaths. People, (arguably like Kiota) who do not care about others and are unaffected by the trauma because they feel no empathy for the victim. The other 1% is different; they are unaffected because of some bizarre wiring in their head that makes them almost invulnerable to such traumatic events, but still maintain their compassion for their fellow man. Many of these types of people can be found in law enforcement, military, medical units, and other high stress jobs because they can simply thrive under the stress that is so good at destroying the rest of us. When everyone else runs _from _the danger, they run _towards_ it to confront it so that the rest don't have to.  
**

**I just thought that this was an interesting piece of information; if you are interested in it, I highly recommend that you read Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's books on the subject. Back to the story though, keep reading, I'll update soon, and please comment!**

**-Ben**


	5. Part 1: Chapter 4

*****Chapter 4*****

_**"Under the sword lifted high, there is hell making you tremble. But go ahead, And you have the land of bliss."**_

**(((0)))**

Kiota learned quickly the differences between a one-on-one duel and a large battle. Unlike the duel, the battle was completely impersonal; there were so many bodies and faces that it was impossible to really understand any opponent as an individual. In addition, everyone was so close that one fighter was really three fighters and his opponent was really three opponents. With everyone practically on top of each other, it was difficult for any real fights to take place; everyone was fighting everyone and to focus on only one opponent was to ignore the others that were trying to kill

"Watch those lions!" Shinmen yelled over the chaos of the battle as he gestured to a pair of quite large lions that were making their way to the fray.

Kiota growled and finished off his current opponents with a series of quick strikes to the throat. He spun to the side to avoid the next attacker and jumped over a fallen soldier as he identified the two lions. The first roared as he easily struck a mercenary away. The second leapt onto the fallen fighter and ripped his throat out with his powerful jaws.

Kiota grinned and launched himself at the closest lion. The unexpected blow made the lion stagger backwards for a moment before he regained his footing. He looked up in surprise as a clawed paw struck him across the face. The smaller rogue leapt onto his opponent as he fell backwards with blood pouring down his face. The other massive lion roared and swung out at Kiota, but he ducked low to his victim's body and allowed the swing to pass harmlessly by. Before he rose to meet the next attacker, he finished off his pinned enemy with a deep rake across the chest.

Before the second lion could lash out again, Kiota leapt out and tacked him to the ground. To his surprise, he felt the lion's hind legs press up into his abdomen and launch him away from his enemy. It was the first time in a while that Kiota's attack had been successfully countered, and it almost made him grin to know that this opponent was a bit stronger than the rest.

He quickly rose to his feet and struck down two others that had come at him. They fell sharply with identical slices in their sides. Kiota looked back for the massive lion that had countered him, but he didn't see him immediately. A sudden swing from the side surprised him and made him drop to the ground to avoid it. He realized that his new attacker was the one he was looking for, and lunged out aggressively with his claws extended. He did not try to push him over, for fear of being launched away again, but instead dug his claws into the lion's biceps.

The pain caused him to roar in pain and try to rip free, but Kiota's grip was solid and was too painful to allow much movement. His claws dug deeper into the lion's arms for good measure, then he quickly released and flowed upwards towards his head. Kiota's claws sliced deeply up the lion's chest, then across the neck, and finally over the face. He followed through with another slice to the throat and took a step back to watch his opponent collapse to the ground in a lifeless heap. Normally, his victory would have been something for Kiota to revel in for a moment, but in the chaos of battle he had to move forward. He met another lion head on and easily killed him while he looked around.

Shinmen fought nearby with a host of other fighters. They were doing well, but still were only _barely_ better than the others. As Kiota watched, Shinmen caught a hyena in one paw and held him there while he raked a lion across his face with a vicious growl. Once he was done with the beaten lion, Shinmen quickly ripped out the hyena's throat.

Close footsteps behind Kiota made him turn to face a new attacker. He looked and saw two more lions rushing towards him with determination in their eyes. They leapt together at him, and Kiota noticed another merc in his periphery. Surely his ally would help him with at least one, so Kiota leapt at the far-side one first. To his surprise, both enemies collided with him simultaneously. _The merc hadn't helped!_ Kiota roared as he felt sharp claws rip his shoulder open and rage filled him. He struck out and knocked one lion away as he backhanded the other. As the two opponents reeled back, he leapt at the closest and forced him to the ground. After a short while of rolling around on the ground, Kiota's claws found the lion's throat and sliced through the soft tissue with ease. While the dying lion gurgled in his own blood, Kiota turned in time to block a strike from the other attacker. He caught the lion's paw with his own and dug his claws into his arm. The enemy roared in pain and lifted his head high in an involuntary spasm. Seeing the opportunity, Kiota lunged forward and closed his jaw around his enemy's throat. He bit down sharply, instantly quieting the roar of pain. A sharp twist yielded a resounding crack and the lion fell down limply to the floor.

Kiota stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. His shoulder was bleeding profusely and it enraged him to know that he had been unnecessarily wounded. Had the merc done his part and dealt with the other lion, Kiota would have easily been able to defeat his opponent without injury. He wheeled around to see the mercenary still standing there, mouth agape.

"I-uh…"he stammered nervously.

Kiota just roared angrily and leapt at him with his claws extended. The merc didn't even try to defend himself, he just stood there with a look of horror across his face as the furious killer's wrath approached.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The battle ended shortly with most of Kugo's army retreating back to their lands. Shinmen was wiping off the blood from his fur when Kiota approached.

"Good god, Kiota…" he said suprisedly as he eyed the bloody lion. "That's a nasty gash."

The rogue snorted irritably. "I got it because one of your mercs froze up."

A dark expression crossed the cheetah's face. "Figures. Who was it? I'll punish them appropriately."

Kiota shook his head. "Don't bother, he's dead." He let out a sigh as he plunged his blood-soaked shoulder into the cool stream. "He froze up again when _another_ lion attacked him."

"It happens…"

"It's war."

Shinmen sighed. "In any case… we did well. Toyo is having us advance onto their territory and finish them off once and for all."

"Is their home similar to Toyo's fortress?"

"Not as elaborate, but still formidable."

Kiota nodded neutrally. "When do we leave?"

"Soon. After we check the fields for any survivors, we'll head out after them."

"I'll go now."

"Are you sure?" the cheetah asked almost worriedly. "Your shoulder looks pretty beat up."

"I'm fine. It already clotted."

"Alright… but don't strain yourself." He remarked as he fell into step alongside the rogue. "From what I saw today, you are probably one of, if not _the_, best fighter of our group… next to _me _of course."

Kiota nodded without looking down. Shinmen was a good fighter, no doubt, but he doubted the Cheetah's true ability compared to himself. The arrogance was a bit irritating to Kiota, but if he wanted to think that he was the best, why not let him? Kiota was confident enough in his own abilities and didn't need someone else to recognize him for his skill.

The two walked in silence for several moments through the field dotted with bodies. Movement from the corner of his eye made Kiota look. He walked over to see a leopard with a torn up leg attempting to crawl away.

"Is he yours?" Kiota asked Shinmen.

The cheetah shook his head. "Nope, he ain't a merc. Must be one of Kugo's"

Kiota nodded and approached the wounded leopard just as he had seen the other mercenaries do with wounded prisoners.

"P-please…" the cat stuttered as Kiota loomed over him with an expressionless face. "D-don't…"

Kiota eyed him for a moment and analyzed the wound. Judging by the cat's pallor, he had already lost a lot of blood and his leg was still gushing the red fluid profusely. He was dying, and Kiota didn't plan to waste any more time with him.

The leopard screamed and was cut short as the Rogue's paw flew across his neck. He stared silently up at his killer with blank eyes, and Kiota stared back. He watched as the cat's scared expression soon faded into the look of dazed shock that was so common on corpses.

"Let's go." Shinmen said as he looked over his shoulder. "I think they got everyone else."

"Yea…" Kiota said as he turned away from the dead leopard. The corpse bored him. He followed behind Shinmen back to the encampment while he thought about the battle. It had been very different from one-on-one duels, but it was still appealing to him. It lasted longer and offered more fights in a shorter amount of time. He still preferred the smaller duels, but there would always be other lions to challenge. Battles like this were few and far between; he would follow the Vita Mercenaries to the Kuga's lands, he decided. It would only take a few days, and it would be… for lack of a better word, _fun_.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Shinmen's explanation had been accurate. Kugo's home was a large stone structure; similar to Toyo's just smaller. It had less caves and tunnels, but was still a formidable defense. From where he stood with the mercenaries, Kiota could see many lions and other cats walking the ramparts of the stone face, waiting for the ensuing battle.

"When do we attack?" he asked, trying to hide his anticipation.

Shinmen shrugged. "Whenever Toyo says to. He's taking over this battle himself to avoid any mistakes."

"Shinmen!" a voice called from a ways off.

"That's him now." The cheetah remarked as he trotted off to receive his briefing.

Kiota returned his gaze to Kugo's lair while Shinmen spoke with Toyo. He figured that it would be a bit easier to keep his enemies in front of him in the closer quarters of the tunnels. He glanced down at his shoulder and examined the healing wound. In the two days since he had received it, it had closed up quite well. It would surely scar, but it was unlikely to cause any permanent damage. When the fight began, he doubted that he would be at his full power; but then, what was a fight without a challenge?

Footsteps from behind made him look back to the approaching mercenary. Shinmen roared loudly to call his higher ranking troops. Kiota followed them and circled around the cheetah.

"Toyo wants us to be the spearhead into Kugo's home." Shinmen began. "We are to attack from this side and secure the front entrances while the rest of the army takes the sides."

Kiota waited patiently while he dealt out responsibilities to his team leaders. To his surprise, the mercenary landed him with a task of his own.

"One of my team leaders was killed in the battle, so I want you, Kiota, to take over his responsibilities."

The rogue just stared in shock at the task.

"Your orders are to deal with the harder fighting near the center. The front entrance is pretty big and we'll have a lot of ground to cover."

Suddenly he found his voice. "Did you say my _orders?_" he asked slowly.

Shinmen nodded. "Yes, Kiota. Do you need me to repeat them for you?"

"No, because I don't _take_ orders."

The cheetah blinked in surprise, but his expression soon turned to anger. "You are in _my _unit, so you will take _my_ orders." He said dangerously.

"I don't care… I don't take orders from _anybody_." Kiota replied in an equally dangerous tone.

The other mercenaries all looked back at Shinmen to see what his reaction would be; no one had ever challenged him like this before. He just stood there with a dark look across his face.

"_Are you refusing the order, Kiota?"_ he said dangerously. "That doesn't usually go over well with the _rest_ of us."

Kiota glanced around at the other mercenaries who were glaring at him. Most of them hadn't liked him to begin with and now they had one more reason to dislike him. Unfortunately for him, now their reason to hate him was also a reason to _kill_ him. Maybe at full health he could have taken them on, but not with a still wounded shoulder. Nevertheless, he was _not_ about to take an _order_ from this mercenary. He would fight _with _them, but not _for _them. He was a rogue and had no master. The thought of being Shinmen's inferior was nauseating to him.

"I _am_ refusing your order." He said strongly. "I am no leader's puppet."

The cheetah's eyes narrowed dangerously. "So be it, Kiota. Instead of dying _for_ me, I'll have you die _because _of me."

A loud roar split the air from afar and everyone turned to look. Toyo was beginning the attack onto Kugo's home and the ranks of soldiers were marching forward. Kiota took advantage of the sudden distraction and bolted away from the mercenaries. He would have liked to simply escape from the rear of the unit, but there were too many of them. Instead, he ran ahead towards Kugo's home with the mercenaries at his heels. Not _all _of them knew that he was now their enemy, but word was spreading fast. Soon he would have the entire unit of Vita Mercenaries trying to kill him.

He was caught in between two opposing armies, both of whom now considered him an enemy. It wasn't a good position to be in, even if he _could_ take on most fighters himself. There were just too many to fight and they would come from all directions. Kiota thought fast, searching for an out as he approached the defending army. He figured it out a split second before he hit the first defender.

The lion roared as Kiota bit his shoulder aggressively and fell backwards onto the ground. In an instant the ground around them erupted into chaos as the two forces collided. Kiota quickly killed his first victim and leapt out excessively at another. The next lion swung out at him with his claws extended, and Kiota restrained himself from blocking the strike. He felt the claws hit him across the face and knock him away to the ground. He could feel the blood trickling down his face as he rolled to a stop in an unmoving heap. Pain in his shoulder told him that his other wound had reopened and was once again spilling blood. _Good_.

He lay there without moving as the blood from his face and shoulder ran across his body. To any observer, he looked like a bloody corpse with an unrecognizable face. The longer he lay there, the more the blood covered him and increased his dead appearance. The battle raged around him and an occasional splatter of blood fell on him from above. He was stepped on, kicked, bled on, and even fallen on. Despite it all, he was careful to remain as motionless and expressionless as the corpses that were piling up around him. Almost a half-hour into the battle, a lion fell on top of him and was pinned by another. While Kiota lay motionless under them, the pinned lion received several deep cuts to the abdomen and collapsed. It was a unique experience for Kiota; he felt the dying lion's ragged breath slow as his hot blood flowed across the rogue's body. The lion died soon after and Kiota felt the corpse cool as time passed.

The battle soon moved away from where Kiota lay among the bodies of dead and dying cats and progressed into Kugo's home among the rocks. Every so often a group of mercenaries or others under Toyo's command would rush by to either join or leave the battle. Kiota occasionally shifted his position to try to stay comfortable, but was sure to only do so when no one was around.

Eventually, night set and the battle continued to rage, though the sounds were becoming more distant and less violent. The fight was winding down and Kiota knew that soon the patrols would start to kill off any wounded enemies. He needed to get out, and _fast_.

He slowly rose and slunk away from his hiding place. He kept low to the ground and dropped instantly whenever anyone neared him. He stuck to the shadows and crawled among the bodies. He was still covered with dried blood and blended in perfectly with the gruesome battlefield. Any soldiers that passed simply assumed that he was just another corpse; his face was unrecognizable anyways. Eventually, he made it to the edge of the field and past the last body. Here, the grass was longer and un-trampled from the fighters' feet. Kiota was unable to suppress a grin as he slunk away into the darkness under the light of the rising moon. He had escaped the battle with his life _and_ his independence. Battles, he decided, were not for him. Duels between only him and another were his preferred way. With his connection to the Vita Mercenaries severed, he could once again return to his traveling and fighting.

*****Author's Note*****

**This was a bit gorier than I originally intended, but I think it does the battle justice. It **_**is**_** war after all, and there **_**is**_** blood in war. Sorry if it made you queasy. Thanks for all the reviews; especially to those of you anonymous commenter's who I can't personally message, your words is what keeps me writing!**

**-Ben**


	6. Part 1: Chapter 5

*****Chapter 5*****

"_**Study strategy over the years and achieve the spirit of the warrior. Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men." **_

**(((0)))**

His opponent roared and charged at him with amazing speed. Kiota dodged to the side and kicked off a rock to strike out at the lion's face. The quick lion ducked and Kiota sailed overhead to land on the ground farther away. He rolled to absorb his momentum and turned to meet his opponents coming barrage of strikes. Kiota blocked the first few and dodged the next few, enraging the lion greatly. The fight went back and forth for a while, to Kiota's delight. It was rare to meet another that could at least hold his own against him. Soon enough, though, his victory was inevitable. The lion grew tired and his movement slowed enough for Kiota to rip savagely across his ribs, making him gasp in shock. While he was momentarily stunned, Kiota struck out again at softer part under the lion's bicep. Blood flowed profusely from the small cut and soon the lion collapsed just as so many had before him.

Kiota looked around at the crowd that had surrounded him. "Anybody else?" he asked calmly.

A few exchanged glances, but no one stepped forwards. When it became clear that he had fought everyone that he could, Kiota turned and walked away from the area. It had been almost two months since he had left the battle and he was quite pleased to return to individual challenges. He didn't know who had won the battle, and truthfully he didn't care. He was no soldier, just a fighter. His shoulder had healed quite well and hadn't hindered him in a while, though the first few duels had been more difficult than they should have been due to the injury. Now, though, he was back in his game.

It was different here in the larger prides; he challenged fewer kings and more soldiers. There were still plenty of mourning lionesses in his wake, but he was better received by the kings. Each thought that their champion could beat him, but so far none had. They were great fighters, Kiota was just better. Each victory taught him more; he experimented with quicker kills and psychological warfare. He learned that there were vulnerable arteries under the arms and a slight spacing halfway down the ribs that allowed just enough room for him to reach his opponent's vitals. When he challenged new fighters, he sometimes arrived late to the duels to give them more time to get nervous and other times acted differently to throw them off. The new opponents that he was facing were stronger than he had ever faced before and would have easily killed him if he had fought them a few months before, but he was far stronger now than he was a few months before. His challenges were fast becoming death notices that only the strongest fighters answered. Every so often, Kiota killed an angry lioness or two after a fight took the life of their mate or friend. He didn't like to bother with them, they simply didn't have the ability to beat him, but he did nonetheless. If they were foolish enough to attack him, then they would die as well.

This pride had offered him three different challenges that he had met in a single day. Kiota stepped over one of the defeated lions as he left the dumbstruck pride to themselves. Surely they were surprised to lose all _three_ of their fighters to the same enemy.

"_You bastard…"_ came a quiet voice.

Kiota turned to see one of his defeated opponents attempting to rise despite his terrible wounds. It was surprising that he was still _breathing_, let alone talking, but Kiota remained expressionless.

"I would stay down if I were you." He said neutrally.

The lion just growled at him, but collapsed back to the ground. "You think that you are unstoppable… but you _aren't_."

"Well that may be true, but I'm still a better warrior than _you_."

"No you aren't"… he gasped through the pain as more blood flowed out. "You aren't a _warrior_ at all. Just a _killer_."

Kiota blinked, momentarily halted by the statement. He had always considered _warrior_ and _killer_ to be almost synonyms, but this lion was claiming that there was a difference. "Nevertheless, you are dying, and I am _not_." Kiota replied.

The lion's lip curled into a sneer and froze as he exhaled one final time.

Kiota grinned as his opponent's head fell back limply. "Interesting thought, though…" he muttered to himself as he turned away to leave again. Just as he was about to leave, a pair of eyes caught his eye. They lacked the fear and grief that was present in everyone else's, and locked onto his with an uncommon determination and focus. The lioness looked incredibly familiar to him, but Kiota couldn't quite figure out how he knew her. Suddenly a commotion grew up in the crowd behind him and drew his attention away from the familiar eyes.

"Where did he go?" asked a new voice urgently. Inaudible remarks gestured to his direction and Kiota sighed and turned to face what was probably another opponent.

A medium sized leopard emerged from the crowd of lions and looked around until he spotted Kiota. "_There_ you are…" he said more to himself than to the rogue as he took a step forward.

"Do I know you?" Kiota asked unsurely. The leopard didn't seem to want a fight; in fact he looked quite nervous.

"You know who I'm representing."

"And that would be…"

"I'm here on behalf of the Vita Mercenaries, specifically Shinmen."

Kiota blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Shinmen to pursue him like this. "What? Does he want me to rejoin with you mercenaries?"

A small grin spread across the leopard's face. "Not quite… He considers your abandonment to be _intolerable_."

Now it was Kiota's turn to grin. "And what exactly does _that_ mean?"

"He knows how much you like to duel, so he figured that he would make you an offer himself."

The thought of fighting Shinmen didn't really appeal to Kiota that much, there was surely something more to it than just a simple duel. Nevertheless, he would here the merc's offer. "Continue."

The leopard nodded. "Shinmen challenges you to a duel in the forest outside of Kugo's lands. He will be there in…" he paused to do a calculation in his head. "…three day's time."

"And if I refuse?"

The merc shrugged. "Naturally there's no real reason to go, but Shinmen seemed pretty confident that you would show."

Kiota nodded slowly as he contemplated the offer. He had nothing to prove to Shinmen, and the merc would likely have something else planned rather than a single duel, but still… He couldn't just _decline_ the offer, he wasn't going to _forfeit _when he was sure that he could win.

"I'll fight him." Kiota said concisely. "Tell him that I will be there at _dawn_ in three days."

The leopard nodded and turned to leave. "I'm sure that Shinmen will be pleased to hear this." He said over his shoulder before he disappeared back into the crowd.

Kiota watched him leave and then glanced around the crowd of lions. He searched again for the young lioness whose familiar eyes had entranced him, but she was nowhere to be seen. He shrugged inwardly and turned his thoughts back to Shinmen as he left the pride to their mourning. He thought for a moment about his location compared to Kugo's home. In the past few months, he had really just been circling around the area and visiting the surrounding prides. If he started now, he would probably be able to make it back to the forest in two days. _Good_, he thought to himself. He needed a bit of time to work out a plan in case Shinmen was going to try something tricky.

He took the quickest route that he could to get back to Kugo's forest, but even so he still passed through several prides by chance. Kiota didn't bother with any challenges since he was pressed for time, but he _did_ manage to pick up a few rumors on the way. It seemed that just about _everyone_ knew about Shinmen's challenge. It made Kiota even more wary; if the merc was advertising the fight this much, he was anticipating an easy victory. He wanted the glory from killing the rogue, and he wanted everyone to know that it was _him_ who had done it. Kiota knew that mercenaries weren't the most moral individuals and that they probably wouldn't have any problem twisting the truth a little bit. If their one-on-one duel turned into a _twenty_ on one, he doubted that they would mind too much.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The night was cool and the forest was black. Sunrise wasn't for another hour, but Kiota slunk through the brush with impressive stealth just in case Shinmen had already arrived. The forest wasn't very big; really it was more of a grove than anything. There was a single clearing in the center which was surrounded by dense brush. If Shinmen was going to plan an ambush, this would surely be the spot. Kiota searched around for a short while longer before he eventually climbed a tree that overlooked the clearing. _Now,_ he thought to himself, _he would wait._

A soft breeze rustled the leaves that hid him and gradually the sky lightened. It was an interesting to watch, something that he had never done before. The grove around him came to life with the waking day; birds chirped, small animals descended their homes in the trees, and even the crickets awakened to begin their usual orchestra. The sounds, coupled with the stunning sunrise, were enough to bring a smile to Kiota's face. Something about the simple majesty of the blood-red light and how it caught the morning dust in golden pillars was just… breathtaking to him.

A snapping twig from afar snapped him back to reality. Kiota watched silently as a large number of mercenaries emerged from the woods and into the clearing with Shinmen in the lead. The head merc quietly directed his troops and placed them in a ring around the clearing, hidden by the brush. He kept another five or six with him in the center of the clearing and he sat down to wait for the apparently late rogue.

Kiota smirked to himself as he watched the mercs set up their ambush. It _was_ a good spot; the brush hid their shock troops very well, but Kiota wasn't a normal enemy. He had hoped that Shinmen would have understood that, but alas, he had not. Kiota shrugged_, it was_ _his own fault_.

Silently and slowly, Kiota descended the tree from the far side so as not to be seen by the mercs in the clearing. When he reached the ground, he stayed low and stealthily approached the first hidden fighter. The hyena stared out at the clearing intently, patiently waiting for his target to arrive, and completely oblivious to the looming threat. Kiota took it one step at a time, especially when he got close to the merc, any noise at all could give him away and get him killed. That was _not_ something he would enjoy.

When he was right on top of the hyena, he hovered for a moment before striking. Then he dropped onto his prey with his entire body weight, careful to cover the merc's mouth with his forearm. A quick slash to the under-arm artery made quick work of the would-be ambusher, and Kiota lay there for a moment while he died. Once he was sure that the merc was no longer alive, he moved onto the next in the circle and repeated his actions.

It took a while, but Kiota went around the surrounding brush as silent as the breeze, quietly offing each of the hidden mercenaries. Some managed to make a quiet grunting noise before they died despite his efforts to keep them silent, but the still living mercs were quite loud themselves and the sounds of their dying comrades must have sounded like a quiet sneeze or sigh. By the time that he had come full circle back to his original tree, Kiota had counted about fifteen or so kills, and the fight hadn't even _started_ yet. The best part was that Shinmen didn't even notice that his ambush had been taken out. He was discussing quietly with his nearby mercs about how _surprised _Kiota would be when they all rushed from the brush.

Kiota just grinned with anticipation and circled around to the front of the clearing that Shinmen expected him to arrive from. No reason to take away _too_ much of the mercs' advantage. He entered the clearing with a neutral expression across his face and approached his opponent as if he suspected nothing.

Shinmen smiled and took a step forwards. "Kiota…" he hissed. "I was beginning to think that you weren't coming."

He shrugged. "I like to sleep in. Who are _they?" _he asked as he motioned to the other five or six troops that stood near their leader.

"They are just here to verify the whole thing. When I _kill_ you, I don't want anyone to be able to say that I _didn't_."

Kiota snorted. "I think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself, Shinmen."

_"NO!"_ he shouted with unexpected anger. "You should not have abandoned us like you did! I have _no_ tolerance for self-serving deserters like you!"

"That doesn't mean that you will win."

"It means that I won't leave it up to _chance_." He said with an evil grin. "You're surrounded."

Kiota shook his head. "No I'm not." He said matter of factly.

Shinmen growled with anticipation. "NOW!" he yelled to the bushes.

Nothing happened and a short smile split Kiota's face as the cheetah just waited for his soldiers to emerge.

"I said NOW!" he repeated angrily, but still nothing happened. A nearby fighter, probably a leader of sorts, bolted angrily to the hedgerow. He parted the brush and prepared to yell at the inattentive ambusher, but recoiled back in surprise and revulsion.

"Sir!" he cried with wide eyes. "They're _dead_!"

Shinmen was silent for a moment as the reality sunk in. "What do you mean they're _dead?"_

"I-I mean that they're all dead!" the leader said worriedly as he discovered more bodies in the nearby bushes. "All of them!"

Shinmen's head snapped to Kiota with anger. "_You."_ He hissed angrily. "You killed my fighters!"

Kiota shrugged. "I didn't feel like getting ambushed is all. I was hoping that you wouldn't have underestimated me, but clearly you did."

The cheetah growled with unprecedented fury as he paced back and forth irritably. "It doesn't matter, I'll still kill you!" With that, he roared and lunged out at the rogue.

Kiota sidestepped the attack and ran past the overextended cheetah towards his other fighters. The first lion blinked in surprise as Kiota ripped his claws across his chest and then down his side. As his first victim fell away, Kiota met the next head on, _literally._ He head-butted the hyena and sent him reeling backwards in stunned pain. Before he could recover, Kiota had pinned him to the ground. A sharp blow from the side made him roll away, but not before ripping the hyena's throat out. He rose quickly to see that he was surrounded by four angry mercenaries and a _furious_ Shinmen.

"You've bothered me for the _last_ time, rogue!" the cheetah roared.

The mercenaries all leapt in unison with their claws outstretched. Kiota met the closest with a sharp block and managed to work around him before he received too many injuries from the rest. With his new positioning, he could face the entire group as a single unit rather than as individuals. He knocked away the first attack from a leopard and lashed out at the following lion with dominating speed. He worked in a fury, blocking away fast strikes and dodging the slower ones. He bided his time with the inferior fighters and was careful not to allow himself to be too vulnerable. Every so often, one of the mercs would misstep, overextend himself, or do something that gave him a serious disadvantage. Whenever Kiota was able to, he used their disadvantage and took them when they were least able to defend themselves. A throat rip, an artery slice, a severed spinal cord. He dealt them out whenever he could, and soon he was facing only a couple attackers.

Shinmen pushed his last remaining fighter at Kiota in a desperate attempt to protect himself and stumbled back nervously. Kiota took the last mercenary in a headlock and rolled over his body, slicing the poor lion's neck as he went. He ducked a desperate swipe by Shinmen and easily tackled him to the ground.

The cheetah just stared up at him with wide eyes. "Y-you killed all my troops…" he said shockedly.

Kiota smiled evilly. "Yes, I suppose I did."

The cheetah squirmed under the lion's superior weight, but Kiota just dug in his claws, drawing a whimper of pain from the beaten mercenary. "I-If you let me go... I promise to never bother you again."

It was an interesting offer that Kiota had never heard before. Usually his fights were extremely anonymous and he knew his opponent by hardly more than a name. He knew Shinmen rather well and he found it curious that he was offering to leave him alone.

Kiota lowered his head down so that he was barely an inch from Shinmen's face. "Sorry, but I don't leave survivors." He said in a whisper, making the merc's eyes widen in fear. "If you wanted to live, you should have either not fought me to begin with, or beaten me with superior fighters. You did _neither_, and now you will die."

Shinmen opened his mouth to say something more, but all that emerged was a quiet gurgle. He found it difficult to speak with a severed throat.

*****Author's Note*****

**School is starting tomorrow, so I'm not sure when my next update will be. I'll try to make it soon, but we'll see. Thanks again for all the reviews, and hope you stay tuned for more! If you haven't noticed already, I decided to do this story in parts. We're still in **_**Part 1: Rise of Kiota**_**.**

**REVIEW AND COMMENT!**

**-Ben**


	7. Part 1: Chapter 6

*****Chapter 6*****

"_**In fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. An elevated spirit is weak and a low spirit is weak. Do not let the enemy see your spirit." **_

**(((0)))**

From the moment that Kiota emerged from Kugo's forest, he became a celebrity of sorts to all the prides that were even _remotely_ near to him. Shinmen's attempt to ambush the rogue was seen as a disgrace and soon the Vita mercenaries fell apart and were disbanded, both from lack of leadership and from a poor reputation. Kiota's victory over the mercenaries' skyrocketed him to fame and silenced any enemies that he had made with his previous duels. No one dared to risk offending the seemingly invincible warrior; he was practically a legend. Some even claimed that he utilized a divine advantage of sorts and was backed by the fighters of the past. Now he only faced the _best_ of the surrounding prides, though it was seemingly just as futile for _them_ to try to defeat him as it was for the inexperienced young lion. Kiota didn't mind either way; he was getting plenty of fights and more importantly, he was _learning_. Every fight made him stronger and every victory made him smarter; in time there was no technique he had not seen and no opponent that he didn't know how to face.

More months passed and his opponents were beginning to dwindle as the best were killed and the mediocre were intimidated into hiding from his death-sentence challenges. He received countless offers to lead Kings' armies and to train their forces, but he declined every time. The thought of remaining in one place indefinitely and dealing with inferior fighters every day just made him nauseous. It was not a lifestyle for the _'mighty'_ Kiota and he avoided it at all costs. Instead, he roamed the surrounding prides as he always had in search of new opponents and leaving rivers of blood in his wake.

King Toyo was one of the most insistent kings in the area; he offered Kiota anything he wanted to teach, or lead, or do _anything_ to help his troops, but every time he asked, the offer was declined. It was kind of interesting for Kiota to say the least; he had killed the king's guard, deserted his army, killed his hired mercenaries, and had since then killed many of his fighters, yet the king_ still_ wanted him. Like anyone of any reasonable logic, he figured, Toyo simply preferred to have him as an ally rather than an enemy.

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"I've told you before; I will not be your subordinate." Kiota replied again with a rather bored tone.

Toyo sighed, "You would be subordinate _only_ to me, and I would give you all the freedom you could want."

"_No."_

"Surely there must be _something_ that you desire?" the king pleaded with him.

Kiota paused as he thought the question over. "I… What I want is an opponent who knows as much about fighting as I do."

The king frowned. "I've offered you duels with my top soldiers and you've killed them all easily."

"Well then you have nothing that I want."

An angry growl escaped Toyo's throat. "You just _don't get it!_ There is _no one_ that knows as much about fighting as you, you are the _best!_"

The rogue snorted indignantly. "Well I _hope _not."

"The only hope you have to find someone of equal ability is if _you_ make them yourself!"

"No…" Kiota said to himself. "I think that I'll keep looking."

King Toyo shifted irritably on his stone and glanced around frustratedly at his surroundings. "Well I'm _sorry_ to disappoint you, but I don't have any new fighters that are willing to fight you today."

"None?"

Toyo was about to repeat himself when a cheetah approached his side and whispered something in his ear. He listened intently for several moments while Kiota waited patiently at the base of his rocky throne. Whatever he was being informed of, it was apparently quite interesting. Kiota understood that as king, Toyo had a lot to do and was frequently multitasking many different things, usually about his wars and conquest.

The king nodded and waved his messenger away. "Well…" he began with a grin as he turned back to Kiota. "I think that I have what you want."

"Someone that knows as much as I do?"

"Yes… he's on his way to fight you."

The rogue's ears perked up in anticipation. "Who?"

"Has name is Ojiro, but they call him the 'Devil of the Southern Prides'."

"He's good?"

Toyo nodded. "Just like you, he's never been defeated. He's actually a prince of sorts, but not in line for the throne. He's been taught by the best that the Southern prides had to offer and he's beaten everyone he's ever faced."

Kiota nodded slowly. "He's coming _here_?"

"_Apparently_ he wants to fight someone of equal prowess. He should arrive in a couple days."

"Well I'll be ready for him..." he responded in a slight daze. It just seemed too good to be true; finally he had a worthy opponent to face! He wasn't some random lion looking for a shot at fame, but a _trained prince!_ Surely with a name like the 'Devil of the Southern Prides' he had some decent skill.

Toyo tried to hide a smile, but it slipped out. "Do you think that you can beat him?"

Kiota blinked at the stupid question. "I don't know anything about him."

"I told you plenty abou-"

"I know nothing about him as a _fighter_. His heritage and history don't mean much."

"Ah." Toyo said shortly. "Perhaps he-… never mind."

Kiota raised his brow in feigned curiosity. He didn't really care what the king wanted to say, but clearly Toyo _wanted_ to say it without being too forward. "What?"

"As you know, Kiota," he said as he looked up to the sky. "I am trying to extend my kingdom, both towards Kugo's former lands and into several other directions. I was hoping that _you_ would be able to help me in this conquest, but your refusal has placed me in a difficult position."

Kiota nodded. "You want Ojiro to replace me?"

"I don't think _replace_ is the right word, considering that you have refused countless times to join me."

"You know what I mean."

Toyo nodded. "If he kills you… then just maybe I'll have a _new_ master that is morewilling than you have been."

"It almost sounds like you _want_ me to lose."

"I'm indifferent. Either way, I win."

"How so?"

The king shrugged. "If he kills _you_, I'll have _him_. If you kill _him_, then you will be the greatest fighter in existence. There won't be anything more for you to do."

"So you think that I'll just join you out of _boredom?_"

"It's a possibility."

Kiota snorted. "I think we're done here."

"Yes… maybe so. Like I said before, he'll be here in two days."

The rogue nodded silently as he turned away towards the exit. "I'll be there."

Kiota left Toyo's stony fortress as he always did. The king frequently offered him a cave to stay in, and to anyone else it would have been luxurious, but to Kiota it was irritating. Besides his dislike of confined spaces, he hated to be reliant on anybody for anything, even if it was for only a few nights. No, he was better suited to the solitude of the wilderness. Around here, however, it wasn't _really_ wilderness like he had started out in. It was more like neutral and lion-less lands that fell in between the surrounding prides. There was plenty of food and places to find shelter, and the prides were hardly a day's walk away.

It was out in this isolation that Kiota spent his time before Ojiro arrived in Toyo's kingdom. He hadn't met the lion yet, but it seemed that this would be his most difficult fight yet and he wasn't going to take any chances. He avoided the usual duels for fear of receiving some minor injury and being hindered when he faced the 'Devil.' Kiota decided to play it safe and stay in seclusion until the time came when he would have to face his new challenger. It was boring to say the least, but roaming around unpopulated lands was something that he was used to. It gave him time to think and contemplate his combat strategies. The last thing he wanted was to be unprepared for his fight.

The days passed slowly, but tolerably. Soon enough though, the day arrived. Kiota woke early and headed back to Toyo's lands for the meeting. He passed the guards easily; they knew him well enough by now to know that it was a bad idea to try to stop him. The pride members all watched him arrive with mixed emotions. Some disliked the cold killer, while others found him to be an entertaining and interesting visitor. Whether they liked or didn't like him, they always watched him from afar; his reputation for killing was enough to keep them away.

The rogue entered Toyo's main area for what was likely the twentieth time and quickly located the king on his usual stone. He approached the familiar lion and eyed the large stranger at his side with caution.

"Ah, Kiota!" Toyo exclaimed in forced friendliness. "I'm glad that you arrived at a reasonable hour this time."

He nodded silently and sat in front of the king, eyes never leaving the unfamiliar lion at his side.

"This is Ojiro, the _Devil of the Southern Prides_." Kiota could see that Toyo was very pleased with Ojiro, and frankly, so was he. Ojiro was simply massive and would have been a challenge just due to his sheer size. If he had _any_ skill at all, it would be a great duel indeed. He nodded to his challenger in acknowledgement, and Ojiro returned the gesture.

"I have heard that you are the _best_ from the surrounding prides." He said in a deep and low voice.

Kiota nodded. "I've heard that you are the greatest where you come from as well."

The two stared at each other in tense silence for several moments before Ojiro spoke again.

"I'm not one for small talk, so why don't we cut right to the _chase_."

"Agreed."

"Can we say tomorrow at dawn?"

"On the large hill to the north."

Ojiro nodded. "I know the one you mean."

"I'll be waiting."

Toyo smiled, pleased that the time and place had been organized so easily. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow at dawn."

Kiota nodded and turned away to leave, pleased at the briefness of the meeting. The others just watched him go without a word.

He left at his own pace, neither slow, nor rushed. He passed by the grouping of pride members who all watched him with interest again. He navigated the familiar tunnels and passageways with ease and exited the rocky kingdom soon after. The guards parted and allowed him through, though he didn't even make eye contact with them. He proceeded back into the savannah for the night, but also toward the hill where he would fight at dawn.

He walked through the brush at a decent pace and with minimal stealth. As the greatest fighter in the area, except maybe Ojiro, he had little to fear from anyone else. Nevertheless, he was still cautious.

_"SNAP!"_

He dropped to the ground and froze at the sound of a twig breaking not too far away. He laid there for several moments, but no further sounds came from the wilderness. When he felt more secure, he rose and continued on his way. Several more minutes later, a rustling in the nearby bushes made him drop again. This time, he waited longer and observed the foliage more intently. At one point, he _swore_ that he saw a pair of eyes, but they vanished before he could identify them.

Eventually he decided that someone was, in fact, following him, but he didn't feel like searching them out. Instead, he continued on his way and waited patiently for his stalker to make an appearance. He followed a slow moving stream that he knew flowed from the hill top and ignored the sounds of his pursuer behind him. He soon reached the base of the agreed- upon hill and decided to stop there for the night. In the morning he would climb to the top to meet Ojiro at sunrise. The thought of fighting the monstrously huge lion made him almost shake with anticipation. _This was the battle he had been searching for._

Footsteps from behind him made him turn to look. He watched as a young lioness emerged from the long shadows of the afternoon and stopped several yards away from him. Kiota looked her over intently, his eyes locking with hers. Her eyes were extremely familiar with their intense focus and determination.

"_Kiota_" she hissed furiously.

"You found me." He said, causing her ears to flatten in fury. "Have you been following me?"

"I've been watching you for _months_."

He nodded and observed her angry posture for several moments. "Who are you?" he finally asked. "You seem very familiar."

The lioness' eyes narrowed angrily. "My name is _Kya_, and I want to _challenge_ you."

He laid himself down on the ground. "You got right to the point, now didn't you."

She nodded. "You killed my father."

"I've killed a lot of lions," Kiota replied in a bored tone. "You're going to have to be more specific."

My father was King Nario. You came into our home and forced him to fight you."

Kiota blinked. "Was he the one that tried to refuse, but wouldn't forfeit?"

Kya growled. "Yes. You _murdered_ him for no reason."

"There _was_ a reason, I wanted to fight him."

Kya roared angrily as she began to pace back and forth. "You're a monster…"

"I'm a fighter."

"You're a _killer_." She corrected. "The world would be better off without you."

Kiota almost smiled. "Are you planning on _killing_ me?"

"I would like nothing more than to rip your throat out and watch your blood flow out."

"Maybe you're unaware, but I'm the greatest fighter in the area. What makes you think that you can beat me?"

"I've been watching you for months. I know how you fight and I know what to expect."

"How many lions have you killed?"

She growled. "I've been in _plenty_ of fights."

"But you've never actually killed anyone?"

"I'll kill _you."_

The rogue nodded and thought over the challenge. He was sure that he could beat her easily, but there were natural risks involved. He looked her over intently, remembering what she was like before. The frail teenage lioness that he remembered from Nario's kingdom was gone and had been replaced by this adult, if young, lioness. She had more muscle than average, and was frankly quite beautiful. He anger and hatred shown through her focused and determined eyes. Truly, he would dislike killing her; given enough time she could become a great fighter.

"Normally I would accept your challenge," he replied. "But I don't want to waste my energy for tomorrow."

"I _will_ kill you!" she said angrily. "Whether you accept my challenge or not!"

"How about tomorrow at midday." He offered. "If I'm still alive, I'll fight you then."

Kya was silent for a while as she thought it over. "Where?"

"The top of this hill." He answered concisely as he gestured to the hill behind him.

"Fine. Midday, tomorrow."

Kiota smiled coldly. "I'm glad that you agree. Now if you would, leave me be."

Kya stared at him for several moments before turning away. Before she disappeared into the brush, she looked over her shoulder. "You know, Kiota… someday you will have to pay for everything that you have ever done. The kings of the past don't help people that don't honor them."

"_Leave_, Kya." He told her darkly.

She obeyed and disappeared into the foliage.

Kiota lay there on the ground for a long while, staring into the brush in which she had left into. Her words made him think back to the stories of the kings of the past. He didn't believe in them of course, but still… if they _were_ real, he might be able to get some help from them. This coming duel with Ojiro was starting to bother him. For the first time in a long time, he was getting nervous. Maybe asking the gods for help wasn't such a bad idea after all. He looked up at the sky to see stars beginning to appear in the falling night.

"Um…" he said quietly to the stars, feeling slightly foolish. "I was just thinking about my fight tomorrow… and I was hoping…"

_No_. He froze. This was wrong. Maybe the kings _were_ up there, and maybe they _would_ help him if he asked them to, but there was something wrong with asking. He had never asked the kings for help before, and to ask them for help now would be wrong. He had made his world by himself, and he would face it by himself. He didn't need anyone's help, especially not the assistance of false gods. He looked up to the stars again with apprehension. If they _were_ real, he figured that they would be pleased with his decision.

*****Author's Note*****

**There will be one final chapter in Part 1 after this one. At the end of that chapter, I will explain everything about the quotes and more about the origins of Kiota. Stay tuned and keep reading!**

**I didn't really care for this chapter; I found the dialogue to be a bit difficult to write. Comments regarding the conversations would be appreciated.**

**-Ben**


	8. Part 1: Chapter 7

*****Chapter 7*****

"_**Perceive that which cannot be seen with the eye." **_

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He rose before sunrise and quickly prepared himself for the coming duel. Kiota looked across the misty savannah and took in his surroundings for a while. For the first time in months he faced the distinct possibility of death if Ojiro was _half_ the fighter that they claimed him to be. He looked around at his surroundings in with a perspective that he hadn't had in a long time. Everything was vibrant and more vivid than usual. He appreciated the world for what it was, and treasured life itself for fear of death. He wasn't at all afraid, or even nervous as he had been the night before. He was ready to face Ojiro and put his abilities to the ultimate test.

He climbed the gently sloping hill through the dew- covered grass and soon reached the top. He looked out at the African landscape that sprawled below him. He saw sparkling rivers and distant mountains, their tops clouded with high clouds. The sapphire sky was dotted with golden clouds, reflecting the morning sun's light. A gentle breeze caught Kiota's mane and filled his lungs with sweet air.

"Good morning, Kiota."

The rogue whirled around to see a group of approaching lions. At the front of the group were King Toyo and Ojiro. He nodded in greeting and walked to a more level spot on the hill top.

"I didn't expect so many others." He remarked to the king.

Toyo shrugged. "What can I say? This battle will certainly take its place in the stories of the past. There are plenty who want to watch the history unfold."

Kiota waved it off; the pretense of other observers didn't really bother him, he just hadn't expected it. He looked to Ojiro for a moment as he situated himself in a good position.

The massive lion of the southern prides looked back at him with black and heartless eyes. "Is there anything that you want to discuss before we fight?" he asked lowly.

"No." Kiota replied coldly. "I'm ready.

Toyo grinned and backed away from the two titans and stood in front of the gathered spectators. Kiota tuned them out completely as he began to circle his opponent.

It was just them, two opposites with a common goal. Kiota was self taught and of humble origins. An unkept rogue who roamed the savannah without any ties to anyone. Ojiro was taught by the best masters of the southern prides and was of regal descent. They were both considered to be the _best_, but 'best' is a singular word. There could be only one.

Ojiro lunged out at Kiota to begin the duel and Kiota dodged away. He met the massive lion's next blow with a block of his own and followed it up with a strike towards his chest. Though Kiota was incredibly quick, Ojiro managed to deflect the blow away. Going with the momentum from the block, Kiota spun away to retake his footing several yards away from his opponent. He growled loudly and leapt out at the larger lion. Ojiro caught him with his huge arms and threw him away, but not quick enough to avoid Kiota's claws across his cheek.

The rogue went sprawling across the ground as Ojiro roared in anger at being struck. Kiota rose quickly from the painful throw and ducked under the coming swing. He tried to rake across the Devil's exposed ribs, but he was blocked by a rising knee that caught him square in the jaw. Kiota fell backwards onto the ground with his head spinning. He found his bearings just as Ojiro's paw was descending towards his neck. In a sudden and desperate movement, Kiota brought his hind legs up and just barely dodged the falling blow. Ojiro's strike landed in the dirt an inch to the side of Kiota's head just as the rogue's hind legs made contact with his opponent's underside.

Kiota managed to perform an awkward throw that succeeded in breaking Ojiro's balance and throwing him to the side. With the threat away, he quickly stood and tried to recover from the dizzying blow. He didn't have much time, though. Ojiro rushed at him again, as if sensing his disadvantage, and lashed out with a series of agile strikes. He hit high, he hit low. The devil attacked from all directions and used everything he could to his advantage. Kiota blocked, dodged, and absorbed most of the blows, but eventually some Kojiro's attacks made it through his defenses. Kiota received gashes on his side and rips in his back. Vicious claws ripped up the rogues arm and over his chest, drawing deep gashes in his flesh. He didn't even feel it through the adrenaline and excitement. Instead of roaring out in pain, Kiota caught Ojiro's paw in his mouth before it could be withdrawn. With all of his might, he bit down and twisted away violently.

Bone snapped and muscle ripped as Kiota crippled the warrior's wrist. A cry of pain split the air and Ojiro's other paw came up in an attempt to strike Kiota away. The rogue easily blocked the strike, but released the broken limb anyways. He lashed out and caught Ojiro's shoulder with his talon-like claws. He ripped out the larger lion's muscle and bathed his opponent in his own blood. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment before Kiota struck out again with both his paws. His right ripped open Ojiro's chest and his left severed his muscular neck.

The Devil of the Southern Prides stared at Kiota for several moments without breathing. Blood poured from his wounds and painted him crimson. Eventually, he inhaled and instantly began to choke on the blood that was pouring into his lungs. He started to fall forwards onto his knees, but caught himself. He looked up at Kiota with a bizarre look. He wasn't angry, shocked, disappointed, or anything else. He seemed almost _relieved_, as if his defeat had freed him from something.

"Y-you… _win_." He gasped before collapsing at Kiota's feet. He lay there dying as Kiota watched intently. Usually he turned away, but this time he wanted to see the results of his kill. He watched as the lion's blood saturated the ground he lay on and his breathing slowed. Gags and spasms racked his dying opponent until he finally lay still. A slight breeze rustled Ojiro's fur and distant thunder made the moment that much more dramatic.

_He had done it. He had won._ After what seemed like hours, Kiota looked up to see Toyo and his followers staring at him intently.

Toyo stepped forward with a grin across his face. "How does it feel to be the _best_, Kiota?"

The rogue looked back to the fallen corpse and thought the question over. As usual he felt giddy and excited from the fight. The rush of life was just as present as ever, but there was something else as well. _Something different_. He stared at Ojiro's body with an unprecedented intensity in an attempt to find the source of this new feeling.

"It feels good…" Kiota murmured quietly, though he wasn't really sure if he was being honest or not.

"That's good." The king responded with a widening grin. "I don't know what you intend to do _now_, but you know where to find me."

He nodded numbly. "I know where to find you…" It was more of a repetition of Toyo's sentence than a sign of acknowledgement, but the king accepted it nonetheless.

Out of his periphery, Kiota saw the king and his followers descend the hill as a group. They were talking loudly with enthusiasm about the fight but slowly faded into the savannah.

With them gone, Kiota returned his attention to the corpse that lay before him. He visually searched the body for answers and reasons. It was a strange feeling that he had; he was thrilled, yet solemn. Proud, yet ashamed. Whatever it was, he was feeling very strangely and he couldn't figure it out. For some reason, this kill made him incredibly uneasy. He had killed countless others with ease, but this was somehow different. Suddenly, it all snapped into place.

"_He was just like me."_ Kiota whispered. Maybe they were complete opposites on the outside, but on the inside they were the _same_. They both were masters of their own bodies, pushing themselves to their limits for the sole purpose of seeing how far they could go. Even their attitudes had been the same; the few words they had shared were complete reflections of each other. _They were the same!_ Kiota stared in shock at the corpse that lay before him as the realization of his actions sunk in. _By killing Ojiro, he had killed himself._ When he had taken the life of his greatest opponent, Kiota had killed a mirror image of himself and ended a life as great as his own.

He stared there for a long while as his wounds continued to bleed. Eventually they clotted and the blood on his fur dried into hard clumps. His breathing slowed to its normal pace and his body returned to its normal state. His mind, however, remained fixated on Ojiro's corpse.

"Examining your _kill_?" an dark voice growled from behind him.

Kiota whirled around to face a young lioness. "Kya…" he said softly as he recognized her from the night before. "What are you doing here?"

She snorted indignantly. "We scheduled a duel for midday, didn't we?"

He glanced up at the sky, and to his surprise the sun was high overhead. He slowly realized that he had been staring at the body all morning without moving. Somehow time had escaped him and the morning had been spent.

"Y-yes…" he answered. "We did, didn't we?"

She growled and began to circle him. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long…" she hissed lowly.

The rogue nodded. "I'll _bet._" He looked at her curiously. This guilt over killing Ojiro was really bothering him. Maybe killing this _new_ attacker, he would be able to rid himself of it. He growled and took up a solid stance against her, despite his injuries.

"It's time for you to _die!"_ Kya hissed before leaping out at him with her claws extended.

Kiota blocked both her paws away and met her flying mass with a splitting head butt. Kya rolled away with a pained groan, but managed to get to her feet before Kiota was on her. She tried to dodge away from his first strike, but he caught her on the shoulder and gave her a shallow, if painful cut. She screamed and tried to block his next strike, but all she received was a heavy bruise on her arm.

Kiota tripped her back leg and flipped her onto her back, pinning her there with his body weight. She stared up at him with sheer hatred in her eyes. He looked back at her with calm focus. They both knew what he was going to do.

"_Do it." _She said quietly through gritted teeth. "Just like you killed my father, you murderer; _rip my throat out."_

Kiota suppressed a grin as she squirmed under his weight. Maybe if he was especially cruel with killing Kya, he would make up for the unease over Ojiro's death. He growled lowly and slid his paw from her shoulder up to her neck. He extended his claws and pressed into her soft flesh.

The young lioness winced her eyes shut and grunted in pain. She was trying to hide her agony, but it showed clearly as his claws slowly pierced her neck and a small trickle of blood began to flow. She tried to cough, but it just came off as a quiet chest spasm. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and stared into Kiota.

He stared back in shock at her intense icy blue eyes. The focus and determination that radiated from her deep orbs pierced his mind. _She had the same intensity that he did._ Kiota stared for several moments, his claws frozen in their place. They neither retracted, nor pierced deeper into Kya's neck. He just stared into her eyes, shocked into stillness.

"_Do i-it!"_ she squeezed out despite his weight on her neck.

Kiota blinked and zoned back into reality. He looked at his newest challenger and saw something different. _Just like Ojiro, she was the same as him!_ His focus and determination were his best qualities, how could he _kill _her when she had those same traits shining through her eyes? It would be like killing himself! In an instant he pulled away in surprise and shock.

Kya coughed violently and rolled to her side. She lay there in stillness for a while while she caught her breath. Once she recovered, she glared up at her would-be-killer. "What? You'll kill kings but not princesses?" she yelled angrily.

He stood there with a blank expression on his face. _Something was wrong._ He just couldn't do it! For the first time in his _life,_ he had allowed a challenger to live.

Kya coughed again as she rose to her feet. "WHY DIDN'T YOU KILL ME?" she demanded furiously.

"I… I…"

"WHAT?" she screamed, hardly an inch away from his face.

"I don't know…" he whispered with a confused expression on his face.

She blinked in surprise. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

"I MEAN THAT I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted back before turning away. "Something's wrong..."

She stared at him in silence for a moment, clearly taken aback by his statement. "And _what_ exactly is _wrong?_"

"I couldn't kill you…"

She rubbed her slightly bleeding neck. "You certainly _tried _to…"

"But I couldn't… you're just... you're just too much lik-" he cut himself off and turned away, not wanting to explain to her.

"Just like _what?"_ she pried.

"Nothing!" he answered coldly as he walked away.

"Where are you going?" she demanded. "Come back here and fight me!"

"NO! I'm leaving!"

"Leaving to _where?"_

"Away… far away from here." he said softly before becoming angry again. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

She trotted up beside him. "No." she said bluntly. "I said that I would kill you, and I intend to do so!"

"I already defeated you, just go away!"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "This isn't about who is _better_, it's about _justice!" _she hissed. I may have lost once, but I _will_ kill you eventually."

"GO AWAY!" he roared as he lashed out with his claws sheathed. Kya fell to the ground from the blow, but rose quickly with a fire in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere." She said coldly. "I will go where you go, and there's nothing that you can do about it."

Kiota turned to face her. " I'll kill you if you don't leave." He said dangerously.

"Heard it before." She replied smugly.

He growled irritably and turned away to continue on his way. There was no way he could kill her, he had already tried once and failed; they were simply too similar to each other for him to kill her. _Those eyes!_ He thought angrily. If it weren't for those eyes he would be able to end her life easily, but they were just too much like _his! _He groaned inwardly; and glared at her with hate._  
_

What could he do? He walked. With his chest still wounded, Kiota moved slowly to allow the wound to heal faster. Trying to outrun Kya was a simple impossibility with the injuries. He was stuck with her, whether he liked it or not. Now he headed off into the wilderness again, this time without direction. He entered into the desolation without a goal or a reason, he just needed to leave.

** END OF PART 1:**_** The Rise of Kiota **_

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*****Author's Note*****

**Thank you for finishing part 1, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all the comments and stay tuned for Part 2!**

**As promised, I will now tell you the truth about the quotes and everything else. The quotes are all from a Samurai named Miyamoto Musashi, arguably the greatest Samurai that ever lived. In his early life, he was a killer, a strategist, and a lordless warrior. Simply put, Kiota **_**is**_** Musashi. I modeled Part 1 after Musashi's early life, (with lots of modifications and creativity of course). Part 2 will not be modeled after Musashi's life at all; it will be of my own creation entirely.**

**Here is a brief version of the true story of Miyamoto Musashi as told by Wikipedia (the most concise source I could find). If you care to read it, I'm sure that you will be able to see the inspiration for this story.**

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Musashi states that his first duel was at the age of thirteen against a samurai named Arima, **[Sali]**three years later, Musashi left his village. He spent his time traveling and engaging in duels.

In 1600, a war began between the Toyotomi _**[Toyo]**_and Tokugawa **[**_**Kugo**_**]** clans. Musashi apparently fought on the side of the Toyotomi's "Army of the West", with the Shinmen clan _**[Vita mercenaries**_**]. **Specifically, he participated in the attempt to take Fushimi castle by assault in July 1600, in the defense of the besieged Gifu Castle in August of the same year, and finally in the famed Battle of Sekigahara. Some doubt has been cast on this final battle, as the _Hyoho senshi denki_ has Musashi saying he is "no lord's vassal" and refusing to fight with his father in the battle_. __**[Desertation of Toyo's Army**_**]**

After the battle, Musashi disappears from the records for a while. The next mention of him has him arriving in Kyoto at the age of 20 (or 21), where he famously began a series of duels against the Yoshioka School. Denshichirō promptly challenged Musashi. The duel took place in Kyoto outside a temple. Musashi arrived late and defeated Denshichirō. This victory outraged the Yoshioka clan, whose head was now Matashichiro **[**_**Shinmen**_**]**. They assembled a force of archers, musketeers and swordsmen, and challenged Musashi to a duel outside Kyoto **[**_**Shinmen's ambush**_**]**, Musashi broke his previous habit of arriving late, and came to the temple hours early. Hidden, Musashi assaulted the force, killing Matashichiro, and escaping while being attacked by dozens of his victim's supporters. With the death of Matashichiro, this branch of the Yoshioka School was destroyed.

From 1605 to 1612, he travelled extensively all over Japan a warrior pilgrimage during which he honed his skills with duels. It is known that Musashi did not care which weapon his foe used — such was his mastery. In April 13, 1612, Musashi (about age 30) fought his most famous duel, with Sasaki Kojirō,** [**_**Ojiro**_**]** who was known as "The Demon of the Western Provinces." Musashi came late and unkempt to the appointed place. The duel was short; Musashi killed his opponent with a carved oar he had made while traveling to the island.

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**Thanks for reading, I own nothing as usual.**

**-Ben**


	9. PART 2:  PERSPECTIVES  Chapter 1

*****PART 2: Perspectives*****

*****Chapter 1*****

_**"Do nothing which is of no use" **_

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The heat of the orange sun was reflected by the dry grass that crunched underfoot from lack of water. Loud locusts buzzed in the foliage, adding a feeling of discomfort that would be undesirable to anyone. The terrain wasn't very good either; too many hills, too much underbrush. It made for slow, but still strenuous traveling that left the two travelers exhausted and covered with debris.

Kiota glanced to the setting sun and laid himself down in the cool shade of a large acacia with a grunt.

"Where are we _going?"_ Kya asked exasperatedly.

"I _told_ you," he growled. "I don't know."

"We've been walking for _days_! Do you even know where we _are?_"

"I've got a general idea, but I could be wrong."

The lioness growled frustratedly and laid down beside a fallen log not too far away from Kiota. The rogue just watched her discomfort with satisfaction. So far, she was not holding up very well in this harsher environment. To be fair, neither was _he_ with his wounds from Ojiro, but she was worse. With any luck, she would give up on following him and decide to leave for a more favorable climate.

She glanced up at him and for a brief moment, their eyes locked. One look at the determination in her icy blue orbs was enough to tell him that she was not _nearly_ ready to give up. _Damn her stubbornness, _he thought to himself before focusing his attention onto his own condition. His injuries _were_ healing, but slowly. The constant travel he was partaking in only kept the wounds open and exposed to the irritating brush that they walked through.

"I'm hungry." Kya remarked dully.

"Good."

"We haven't stopped moving for three days, you _can't_ tell me that you aren't hungry too."

Kiota grinned inwardly. Maybe the terrain and climate weren't bothering her, but she was _clearly_ hungry. A rumble from her stomach was enough to tell him that it was more than simple desire; she truly needed food. _He_ may have gotten used to long days without food, but _she_ was apparently not used to it at all.

"I'm a little hungry, but I'm in no condition to hunt."

"So you're just going to _starve?_"

"I'll eat when I need to, and not a moment before then."

"You're trying to wait me out, aren't you?"

"I told you before that I don't want you around me."

"And I told _you_ that I'm going to kill you."

Kiota nodded with a bored expression. "Any reason you haven't slit my throat while I sleep?"

Her expression instantly darkened. "It crossed my mind… but I want to see you suffer. I want you to _know_ that you're going to die."

"You know, Kya," Kiota began slowly. "After a while, your death threats really start to lose their meaning."

She was silent for several moments. "I'm still hungry."

"I DON'T CARE!" he shouted angrily. "I'M NOT GOING TO GET YOU ANY FOOD, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE CARE OF YOU!"

"Of course not! You only care about yourself!"

"You're right, I don't care about _you_ or anyone else! In fact, I think that I just might hate _you_ as much as _you_ hate me!"

"Then why don't you just _kill_ me like you did to my father?"

_"I wish I could."_ He mumbled inaudibly.

"What did you say?"

"I said that I just MIGHT!"

"Well we'll just have to _see_, then won't we?"

Kiota sighed exasperatedly, suddenly weary of the fight. "Go to bed." He said tiredly. "Maybe one of us will die in our sleep and this whole thing will be over."

"I still hate you."

"Go to sleep."

Kya snorted irritably and laid her head down. "Fine."

Kiota closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but Kya kept shifting around and sighing annoyingly. In truth, she was pretty quiet, but to Kiota it was deafening. After what seemed like hours, her breathing regulated and she grew still in unconsciousness. Kiota exhaled in relief and closed his eyes again.

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A deep fog set in without a breeze. It was thick, but Kiota was still able to navigate alright. His footsteps fell on the ground lightly and softly. He walked past Kya's sleeping body and soon found himself at a nearby stream. There was no flow at all and the water held the perfect reflection of the trees above. He stared at his reflection for several moments and analyzed himself with neutrality. He looked as he always did; a little unkempt but otherwise fine. He was about to lean down to drink the calm water, when a ripple in the water caught his attention. The pool blurred from the sourceless disturbance, but only barely. Kiota was still able to make out his body quite clearly, just not the finer details of his face.

The surface calmed shortly and returned to its original clarity. Kiota blinked in shock as he looked at his reflection. Instead of his own eyes looking back, _Ojiro _stared at him from the other side of the water. Kiota leaned to the left and his motion was reflected by the other lion. He moved to the right with the same result. Ojiro blinked when he did, frowned when he did, and breathed in time with his chest. According to his reflection, he _was_ Ojiro.

Kiota blinked and in the split second that his eyes were closed, image suddenly changed. Ojiro was dead, lying in a bloody heap on the ground; his life stolen from him by some unseen attacker. Deep gashes in the neck and arm were the clear causes of the fighter's death. Kiota gasped as blinding pain shot through his own arm and neck. He tried to yell out as a sharp twisting feeling erupted from his paw, but nothing came out from his throat. Just when he didn't think that he could take it any longer, it stopped. He gasped and almost fell forward from the sudden relief. _The pain had been so intense._ It left his heart beating a thousand times a minute and his breathing was ragged.

He recovered in a few moments and looked back to his reflection, only to see his usual self staring back. Ojiro was gone, and only a simple reflection remained. He sighed heavily and stared into his image. One thing that he had always known about himself, even as a young cub, was the intensity of his eyes. They were strong, determined, focused, and unwavering. He stared deeply into his own eyes in the water and slowly lost his peripheral vision as he became more entranced in their tenacity. For whatever reason, he just couldn't get over the incredible quality of his eyes. They were so resolute, alert, indomitable, focused, and so icy blue… _Blue?_ _His eyes weren't blue! _Kiota blinked in surprise as he realized that the image in the water was no longer his. _It was Kya._ The lioness stared at him with her usual stare, making him feel slightly nervous. She moved as he did, blinked when he did, and breathed in unison, just as Ojiro did; she _was _his reflection.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" He shouted angrily.

Though Kya's mouth moved as his did, he didn't hear her voice. He stared at her for several moments with furious eyes, almost expecting an answer from the mysterious water. For a while she stared back just as a normal reflection would. After several moments, however, her expression softened and her eyes looked past him in a mild sort of daze. Kiota stared in confusion and almost curiosity as a soft tear ran down her unwavering cheek and dripped into the water that served as a barrier between them. _She was crying._ As the tear hit the surface, it made a ripple that slowly extended in all directions. The ripples disturbed the image and slowly rendered it unrecognizable. Unlike before, the blurriness did not dissipate and the glassy surface did not return. The ripples extended to all sides of the stream and grew more intense. They reverberated off of each other and gained intensity, even affecting the nearby shore. Kiota watched in amazement as the land _around_ the water grew blurry and rippled as the water did. It melded with the fog until everything was just a distorted blur of its former self. For Kiota, it was complete visual overload; his eyes became dizzy from the pulsating images and the ground seemed to move underneath his feet, throwing himself off balance. A splitting headache made him grit his teeth in pain and clench his eyes shut. He tried to stay standing, but it was all too much. He fell to the side for what seemed like forever, finally hitting the ground with a solid thump. As soon as he touched the hard dirt, it all stopped. The headache dissipated, the ground stopped moving, and everything seemed to be normal.

He opened his eyes warily, being instantly blinded by a bright light. As his eyes adjusted, he slowly realized that the light was in fact the sun. He blinked away the discomfort and sat up to survey his surroundings. It was morning and he was lying in exactly the same place that he had laid down at the night before. He looked over to where the mysterious stream had been located only moments ago, but there was nothing there. Only grass and brush that wove into itself like interlocking fibers; no water at all.

_It was a dream?_ He thought amazedly. It certainly made sense with all the bizarre occurrences, but still. It had just been so real and vivid! He shook his head as he remembered the sharp pain and the strange vibrations. _What a weird dream._

He looked over to where Kya had been sleeping, but she was gone. Kiota blinked in surprise at the matted grass that had served as her bedding and wondered where she had gone. _Maybe she had finally had enough and decided to leave!_ The hopeful thought was about to bring a grin to the fighter's face when a dull thud sounded from the side. Kiota looked over to see the source of the sound, only to be disappointed at the sight of the hated lioness.

Kya stood over a freshly killed Zebra for a while without even acknowledging Kiota. Her breathing was heavy from carrying the kill, but it was regained eventually glanced at him with a smug expression and bent down to begin eating her kill.

"You caught a Zebra?" he asked as he rose to his feet.

She nodded, but didn't answer due to the food in her mouth.

Kiota looked over the animal; it was quite healthy and was undoubtedly a difficult animal to take down. "How did you know that I wouldn't have left when I saw that you weren't here?"

Kya swallowed a chunk of meat and turned to face him. "You were tossing and turning all night. I figured that you would tire yourself out enough to sleep in later than usual." She tore off another mass and began to chew it enthusiastically.

Kiota looked to the sky and was surprised by the sun's location. It _was_ higher than usual, almost halfway to midday. "I was tossing and turning?" he asked blankly.

"Yea… you said some stuff too, but I couldn't hear it."

Kiota nodded numbly, slightly shocked at the revelation. _He had been talking in his sleep?_ This was something completely new and strange. He dreamed, sure, but not like this. Never before had his dreams been so out of the ordinary, and never before had they caused him to _talk in his sleep!_

He slowly realized that Kya was almost finished with the Zebra. There was still plenty left, but her bites were slowing and her face showed of satisfaction. She looked up at him with irritable eyes.

"I know that you _said_ you weren't hungry, but you _should_ eat."

He stared at her for a moment in silence. "Are you _offering_ your kill to me?"

The lioness glared at him angrily. "My father always told me to never waste anything, _especially_ food… I don't _want_ to give it to you, but I can't eat any more."

He nodded slowly and took a step forward towards the carcass. He pulled off a strip of meat and chewed it slowly; contemplating the idea. He had always made the most of everything he had, but out of necessity rather than morals. He supposed that if he had all the food in the world, he would still act the same. Did that mean that he had something in common with her father? He shook his head at the thought.

"He was right to think that."

She cocked her head confusedly. "What?"

"Your father, he was right about not wasting food."

Anger flashed across Kya's face. "DON'T TALK TO _ME_ ABOUT WHAT MY _FATHER_ SAID! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!" With that, she stormed furiously off into the grass.

Kiota watched her leave with mild amusement mied with unease. "_Lionesses." _He huffed. They were _all_ crazy, but Kya was a whole different level of craziness. He continued to eat his fill of the Zebra without considering trying to leave without her; he knew that she was nearby and any attempt to get rid of her would only make her angrier. One thing that he had noticed over the last few days was that if Kya was angry, she was loud. The only way to keep her quiet was to keep her temper down.

Almost an hour later, the carcass was all but bones and Kiota was full of the meat. The sun was high and they needed to get moving. He glanced over to see Kya waiting patiently at the edge of the clearing with a frown on her face.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked sarcastically.

"I still hate you, if that's what you mean."

"Likewise."

Her lip curled up in a slight sneer as he walked past her. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes."

"You still don't know where we're going, do you?"

"No." Kiota replied as he pushed through the thicket.

Kya huffed irritably. "Of _course_ you don't."

*****Author's Note*****

**Welcome to Part 2, everyone; glad you followed through with it! As I said before, Part 2 will not be guided by Miyamoto Musashi, though I will try to incorporate some basic ideas of his later life into it. Thanks for reading!**

**REVIEW AND COMMENT PLEASE!**

**-Ben**


	10. Part 2: Chapter 2

*****Chapter 2*****

_**"Unless you really understand others, you can hardly attain full self understanding." **_

**(((0)))**

He looked at his reflection neutrally. It changed into Oojiro, then into his mangled corpse. Then it returned to him, and then it turned into Kya. She cried, and the water rippled in its usual way that somehow affected the land and the air in addition to the stream itself. He grew dizzy and fell to the ground solidly, only to find himself back where he had fallen asleep.

Kiota scowled and picked himself up off the ground, his joints cracking from the stiffness. Over the past week, he had dreamt the strange dream over and over again for _every_ night! It was driving him insane with its weirdness. Every night he went to sleep _knowing_ that he would have it, but every time he had it, he felt it with complete freshness without any memory of it before. Each time his reflection transformed into the lioness he hated, he saw it with new and complete shock as if he had never seen it before. He woke every morning, irritated at being 'fooled' again by his own dream.

He groaned as he stretched in the morning sun and glanced over at the sleeping lioness with disgust. Her side rose and fell rhythmically and the sun seemed to make her fur glow with a golden hue that was rarely seen. To most, the sight would have been enough to expel any bad mood, but to Kiota it only made him bitterer. Kya had been the _bane_ of his existence for almost two weeks now, and she was showing no sign of getting bored. She _truly_ wanted to kill him, and he was just beginning to accept the fact that she wasn't going to leave.

Her eyes opened suddenly and locked onto him. "Why are you staring at me?"

Kiota shrugged and walked past her. "I was trying to think of a way to get rid of you." He remarked over his shoulder.

"I'm staying, get used to it." She replied as she got to her feet.

"I _am_ getting used to it, but that doesn't make you any more tolerable."

"Yea, yea…" she said dully. "I'm such a pain with getting you food and everything."

"I would be _fine_ on my own. I was before you were here, and I will be after you leave."

"How would you have gotten your paw the unstuck other day if I hadn't loosened that log?"

"I would have managed."

She nodded doubtfully. "Sure… whatever." She was quiet for several minutes as they walked aimlessly through the savannah. Just as Kiota had accepted the fact that she was staying, she had come to accept the fact that he had no idea where they were heading.

Kya opened her mouth as if she was about to speak, but was cut off by a sudden flurry from the side. From a small bush burst a pair of wrestling squirrels. They rolled across the dirt between the two lions with giddy playfulness, causing a small cloud of dust to form around them.

"Haha!" Kya giggled as the two rodents landed at her feet. They looked up at her with startled eyes, having not realized that she was there. In a flash, they ran back into the bush that they had burst from. The lioness's giggle turned into a full laugh as the pair disappeared from sight.

"Did you see the look on their faces?" she asked Kiota with a wide grin. "It was hilarious!"

"You thought that those _rats_ were _funny?_" Kiota asked in surprise.

Kya blinked as she realized that he wasn't even smiling. "Didn't you see them? The way they were playing and how they were so surprised when they saw me?"

"That wasn't funny." He replied dully as he turned back to continue on his path.

"Well then what would _you_ call it?"

"Disgusting, irritating, stupid, boring-"

"You're just cynical."

"No, I'm just not as easily entertained as you."

She huffed in annoyance. "Fine then, what do _you_ consider to be funny."

Kiota was silent a moment as he thought about it. No one had ever asked that before… he couldn't _remember_ the last time that he laughed freely. "I don't know…"

Kya chuckled. "You just don't _have_ a sense of humor."

"I do too; I'm just not sure what it is."

"Well then, _Kiota_," she said with mock pleasantness. "I hope that you'll let me know when you figure it out."

He nodded. "You will be the _first_ to know."

"I'm glad that I'm your first priority."

"First place in a single-entry competition isn't that significant."

She shrugged. "At this point, I'll take any victory that I can get."

"If that's what keeps you going, then _fine._"

She sighed irritably, but was silent. In a way, Kiota was envious of his unwanted company. At least she knew what drove her; _he _on the other hand, wasn't so sure any more. He had been walking for almost two weeks, hoping for some revelation or _something_ to make things make sense again. So far, he hadn't come up with anything. The strange guilt surrounding Ojiro still persisted, as did the fascination with Kya's eyes. Try as he might, he just couldn't hurt her; he had watched her sleep and _tried_ to get himself to kill her while her eyes were closed, but he just couldn't do it! Every time he even _thought_ about hurting her, the image of her determined eyes shone in his head like the sun.

He _was_ trying to figure it all out, he truly was. She just seemed to block any and all potential progress with her incessant talking and breathing and just _existence_ in general. _God he hated her_. He had considered going back to smaller prides and continuing to challenge them as he had before, but what was the point? He had fought the greatest that anyone could offer and had emerged victorious. Fights didn't even give him the euphoria that they had before; there was simply no danger anymore. The fact that he would win was a simple given.

Suddenly, the pair emerged from the foliage onto the edge of a vast desert. Kya gasped in awe as she looked across the seemingly endless expanse of sand that was mounded into miniature mountains, only to be blown away and rebuilt by the relentless wind. Behind them lay the thick, albeit desolate, brush that they had traveled through for so long. In either direction lay the abrupt boundary that separated the two distinct terrains.

"Wow." Kya remarked. "That's a big desert."

Kyota nodded. "I don't think that we're where I _thought_ we were."

"Are you saying that we're _lost?_" she asked unsurprisedly.

"No, just a little off course." He answered dully as he surveyed the land in either direction. Off to the side he noticed a small oasis of sorts. It wasn't much, just a small pool of murky water and a few trees around it. "Come on." He told Kya. "I'm thirsty."

She sighed irritably and followed.

As they neared the water, Kiota noticed a dark figure not too far away from the oasis. It lay almost fifty yards out into the desert, covered by a thin layer of sand. Out of curiosity, he changed his course slightly so that they would pass the object on the way to the waterhole.

"What _is_ that?" Kya asked as they neared the dark thing.

Kiota stopped as he realized what it was. "What it is… is _dead._"

Kya stared in interest as she neared the body of the dark wildebeest. "Huh…" is all she said.

Kiota looked at it for several moments, analyzing the corpse. Judging by the pallor of the animal's face, it had probably died from dehydration. In the direction of the desert lay a slowly disappearing trail of the animal's footsteps. As the lions watched, the sand slowly blew over and filled the imprints.

"You asked me before what I thought was funny…" Kiota said quietly.

Kya just looked at him curiously. "Did you think of something?"

A grin spread across the lion's face. "Yea, I did…. _This_ is funny as hell!"

"What?"

"This… this wildebeest… it's hilarious!"

She just stared at him blankly. "What is so funny about a dead animal?"

"Think about it. His tracks are coming from the desert, so he must have been traveling _through_ the sand dunes towards wherever he could find water."

Kya just stared. "You think that it's _funny_ that he _didn't_ find water soon enough?"

"No, I think that it's _hilarious_ that he collapsed fifty yards from an _oasis_. It's irony at its best."

"Or worst… depending on how you look at it."

He shrugged. "I guess so..."

They stood there for several moments, staring at the body with waning interest as more of the dry sand blew across the stiffening body and into its coarse fur.

"Well…" Kya said eventually. "Unless you want to keep staring at a dead body, we should probably head back to-"

An angry growl split the dry and windy air, causing both lions to look sharply to their rear. Standing there was a skinny and disheveled looking lion with a wiry black mane.

"THAT'S _MY _KILL!" he shouted furiously.

Kya blinked. "Wha-"

"GET AWAY FROM MY KILL!"

"I'm pretty sure that you didn't kill this wildebeest…" Kiota said slowly. "There isn't a mark on i-"

"IT'S MINE! I SAW IT FIRST!"

Kya and Kiota exchanged a glance of uncertainty before returning their attention to the frantic lion.

"I don't think you did… we've been standing here for quite a while now…" Kya said with a slight amount of fear in her voice.

"I DON'T CARE, IT'S MINE!" he roared as he bared his teeth and sunk into a combat stance.

Kya took a step back while Kiota watched with vague amusement. "Calm down, okay?" she said nervously as the aggressor's eye began to twitch uncontrollably. "We weren't gonna take the body, you can have it if you re- AAAAHHHH!"

The lioness screamed in fear as the scrawny lion lunged out at her with his claws outstretched. A long strand of saliva hung from his curled lip and his pupils were tiny as pinpoints. She stared in horror as the intimidating beast flew towards her through the air. She clenched her eyes tight as her only brace against the impact.

"WHUMF!"

Kya opened her eyes, surprised to have not felt the expected collision. On the ground in front of her rolled the strange attacker and Kiota. They grappled aggressively, the unnamed assailant releasing grunts and growls as he went. Suddenly they released each other and stepped away. Kiota grinned as the crazy roared and lunged out. _Maybe killing THIS lion would help him figure out why he couldn't kill Kya._

He ducked under the awkward swing and came up with a blow of his own under the crazy's chin. The insane lion reeled back from the strike and a thin line of blood trickled down his mouth. He tried to regain his balance, but the ground seemed to spin around him. Suddenly it stopped as a firm grip caught his throat. He stared into Kiota's gleaming eyes as his fate revealed itself. In a sharp and fluid movement, the rogue ripped his claws out from the strong grip, taking a large chunk of the lion's neck with it.

Kiota watched as his victim gasped for air, making an unpleasant sucking sound from where his neck once was. After a few moments, he collapsed to the ground with his blood absorbing into the dry sand. A soft breeze blew a fine layer of dust across the fresh corpse, the first layer of what would eventually cover the entire body.

Kiota tried to pull away from the spectacle, but he just couldn't. _There was something about this lion too!_ The familiar sickening feeling returned to his stomach, and he felt dizzy. It was just like after he had killed Ojiro, it wasn't guilt, but it wasn't _not_ guilt either. For whatever reason, the only thought that passed through Kiota's mind was how he had fought for food against others before. After he had left his home pride, barely past his teenage years, he had struggled often in finding enough food to keep him going. He was a great fighter even at the early age, but not so great of a hunter. Often times he stole kills from other predators, even going so far as to killing a few who refused to give up their food. All he could think about was how this unnamed, if crazy, lion was doing the same thing he had. Though they may have been completely different in all other aspects, they shared this small piece of history. To Kiota, it was enough to make him feel like he had killed another of himself.

"Huh…" Kya said softly. "I don't think that he was quite right in the head…"

Kiota just stayed silent and unblinking as a warm desert breeze rustled his mane.

"I never thought that I would say this…" she continued. "But thanks… thanks for stopping him before he could get to me."

Kiota growled and turned back towards the nearby oasis. "_Shut up_." He hissed angrily.

Kya blinked in surprise, but it soon turned into anger as he passed by her. "Well _excuse me_ for thanking you! I didn't think that I was being that _intolerable_… I mean really! What did I do that called for you getting _angry_ at me?"

"KYA!" Kiota shouted at her face. "FOR ONCE, THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU! I DON'T CARE AT ALL WHAT YOU SAID, OR DID, OR WHATEVER, I'M NOT EVEN ANGRY AT _YOU! I_ JUST WANT YOU TO _SHUT UP!"_

She was silent in shock for a moment as she took in what he said. "Oh…" she said softly.

Kiota growled and kept going towards the waterhole, stopping to kick a branch out of the way with a great deal of emotion. Kya just watched him go with a mix of anger, confusion, and amazement. He had just killed an insane lion, arguably out of necessity, and he was actually _upset_ about it. She shook her head and followed his already eroding trail. She had seen him end countless other lives without caring at all, but now he was actually _bothered _by this.

Kiota stared into the water with a blank expression, unsure of himself. Whatever was wrong with him, killing the crazy hadn't helped at all. In fact, it seemed to make it even worse; now he was troubled by Ojiro, Kya, _and_ the insane lion. He groaned inwardly as he remembered his strange and recurring dreams. Surely they would be plagued by this new kill, just as it was filled with Ojiro and Kya. _Great…_ he thought irritably. _Even more stuff to lose sleep over._

"Kiota…" a voice said softly from behind him.

"What?" he replied in almost a growl.

Kya stepped up alongside him and looked into the water at their reflections. "I just wanted to say… sorry."

He blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I don't know what's going on with you, but I thought you were just being the usual jerk that you usually are… I'm sorry for getting mad at you for being upset."

"I'm not _upset._" He relied with disgust.

"Whatever, I just wanted to apologize."

Kiota sighed exasperatedly. "Fine… I'm sorry for yelling." He said shortly and reluctantly. "If you're thirsty, then get a drink now. We're leaving soon."

She nodded in dull amusement. This was more like the usual Kiota she had come to know and hate.

*****Author's Note*****

**Here's the newest update for you all! Thanks for all the reviews; I'm glad that you all like it so much. Unfortunately, I've got a crazy week ahead of me with a huge football game and an even bigger security detail, so I probably won't be able to update for a while. Be patient though, it **_**will**_** come!  
REVIEW AND COMMENT!**

**-Ben**

**PS- **

**To all of you who have stories that I've suddenly stopped reviewing, IM SORRY! I feel really bad, I just have bee so insanely busy lately with everything. I promise that I'll get to them as soon as I can!  
**


	11. Part 2: Chapter 3

*****Chapter 3*****

**"Whatever the Way, the master of strategy does not appear fast. Of course, slowness is bad. Really skillful people never get out of time, and are always deliberate, and never appear busy."**

**(((0)))**

After they got their drink from the small oasis, the pair walked along the border between the desert and the wilderness. It was a truly bizarre place; desert to their right, and thick brush to their left. In the morning a strong wind blew from the desert, throwing hot sand and dust in their faces, while in the evening wind came from the opposite way, carrying with it the smell of dry and desolate vegetation. The two lions moved in silence, albeit a tense silence. Kiota was trying to _forget_ the whole event with the crazy lion while Kya was doing the opposite and trying to figure it all out.

She was just baffled by it all; the lion's insanity, how she froze up when he attacked, how Kiota had killed him, and how he seemed to be actually _upset _by it all. It was weird for him to be so… she didn't even _know _what it was, but whatever it was, he was acting strangely.

"Kiota?" she asked softly, barely perceptible over the desert wind.

"I thought we agreed that we _weren't_ going to talk."

"I know… but this will be short."

"Fine."He sighed exasperatedly. "What is it?"

"It's just…" she stammered unsurely. "When the lion lunged at me…"

"I _told _you, Kya," he hissed. "I _don't_ want to talk about tha-"

"Why did you stop him?" she cut him off.

Kiota blinked. "What?"

"Why did you stop him from attacking me?"

_What a stupid question!_ He thought to himself. He wanted to _fight_ the lion, if she thought that this had some deeper meaning, she was going be disappointed.

"You thought that I would pass up a _fight?_"

She shook her head slowly. "That's what I thought at first, but then I realized that you never tried to fight him _until_ he lunged at me."

He snorted. "Trust me, it wasn't because of _you._"

"Then why didn't you try to fight him before he attacked? You seemed like you were almost trying to calm him down."

Kiota was about to snap back at her with a nasty remark, but stopped himself suddenly as he the memory of the event came back to him. _Had he really wanted to fight him, or had he just convinced himself that he wanted to?_ He stopped walking and stared straight ahead in an unfocused gaze. _Why HAD he fought the unnamed lion?_ He knew that he had killed him in a vain attempt to stop the dreams, but why had he fought him initially? Why had he stopped him before he reached Kya? Why didn't he let her get hurt?

The questions swarmed his mind in a flood of thoughts. His mind raced, pausing for only an instant on each question which gave him almost _no_ time to figure out any of them. He suddenly refocused back into reality to see Kya eyeing him curiously.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine… I'm fine." He muttered before pushing past her. After a few steps he whirled around upon the realization that he had never really answered her question. "And I fought the lion because I _wanted _to!" he declared as strongly as he could, trying to hide his immense doubt.

"Fine." She said, somewhat dejectedly.

To Kiota's relief, she stayed silent for a while. He needed time to think, _this was getting out of hand!_ For whatever reason, he couldn't hurt Kya, nor could he even _let_ her get hurt! On top of that, fighting no longer gave him the same fulfillment that it used to. Somehow and to his displeasure, something inside him had changed for the worse.

They followed the border for a long time until the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon. As they prepared to stop for the night, they suddenly realized that the desolate savannah to their left had become a lush jungle while the desert on their right had remained the same.

"Well _that_ kinda came up out of nowhere…" Kya remarked, more to herself than to anyone else.

Kiota just nodded slowly and found a small clearing not too deep into the jungle. The large leaves of the dense foliage protected them from the desert wind, and the simple calmness found in the lush greenery was refreshing compared to the harsh and stressful environment they had come from.

"I take it that we're just going to stay here for tonight?" Kya asked him.

"Yes. Go to sleep." He said as he collapsed to the ground underneath a tree.

She rolled her eyes at the authority that he seemed to think he had. She watched him for a moment before setting herself down on the opposite end of the clearing. Before long, she was sound asleep.

Kiota, however, remained wide awake. Besides the fact that he didn't want to re-experience his dream for the thousandth time, his head was swimming with thoughts. He tried for what seemed like hours to figure out why he had protected Kya, but he simply couldn't remember what he had been thinking at the moment. All he could guess was that it had been instinct, _but he didn't HAVE instincts to protect others!_ The last time he had protected another had been when he had fought with Shinmen and the Vita mercenaries, and that was only because they were on the same side; he _wanted_ to get rid of Kya, and for some reason he was subconsciously trying to _save _her! He groaned inwardly at the craziness of it all and buried his head into his paws in a vain attempt to shut out his thoughts. By then it was almost midnight and the moon was rising amidst a sea of vibrant stars. Kiota was about to give up on his thoughts and go to sleep when a rustling from the other side of the clearing caught his attention. He rolled to his side just in time to see a pale body disappear from into the foliage towards the desert.

"_Kya." _He whispered to himself and rose to follow her. Truthfully, he didn't really know why he was going after her; after all he _would_ prefer her to leave. But lately he had been doing a lot of stuff without knowing why.

He pushed silently through leaves and branches, soon arriving on the edge of the jungle. Not far away, he could make out the image of Kya sitting upon a large rock about ten feet into the sand. Her fur was bathed in the silvery light of the moon that had risen from the horizon. Despite the moon's intensity, the stars still shone brilliantly like a glimmers of the sun's reflection on a sunny day. Some of the sky was so populated with the tiny balls of light that it seemed to be more of a smoky glow rather than the individual sparkles.

"Hey…" Kya said softly.

Kiota froze. _How had she been able to hear him?_

"I know that I haven't really talked to you in a while… but I am now."

_What was she talking about?_ Kiota was about to respond, but she spoke again.

"I'm just really confused, daddy…"

He blinked. _She was talking to her father?_

_ "_I just can't beat him!" she said with a flash of anger. "He's _unstoppable_, and I don't know how I can make things right."

_At least she knew her place._

"I miss you…" she said softly. "…and everyone else."

_Everyone else?_

"I'm sorry… for everything that happened after you died. I _will_ make sure that Kiota is held responsible for what he caused."

Kiota stared at her with vague confusion while she sat there on the stone in silence. A soft breeze blew past them, carrying with it some sweet and lush scent from distant lands across the desert.

"Whatever happens, Daddy…" she said after a long while. "I just hope that y-you know that I love y-you."

He watched in amazement as tears began to fall down her face and stained the dry stone below her. _She was crying_. It was the first time he had seen her cry outside of his dreams…

She sobbed loudly before continuing. "I love you, and I h-hope that you're p-proud of me."

Kiota watched her for several more minutes, but she just sat there in silence, crying silent tears that ran through her fur and blurred her vision. Eventually, he turned away from her grief and headed back to the clearing, his thoughts stunned by the image he had just seen. _She had been crying!_ Suddenly, his dreams seemed infinitely more…_ real_. The sight of Kya's grieving fit the image in his sleep so perfectly; he began to question the rest of it as well. _Was it more than a dream?_

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

He awoke early the next morning, even before the sun due to his dreams. As usual, he had watched as his reflection transformed into Ojiro, Kya, the crazy lion, and to his surprise, he saw Kya's father, King Nario in the water. Just like the others, Nario had begun as Kiota's reflection, then blurred into his true form.

It was all very confusing and frustrating to Kiota, but he maintained his calmness. He glanced over to see Kya sleeping in the same place that she had laid down at originally. She looked somewhat distressed… uncomfortable even. As Kiota slowly became more awake, he realized why. _It was freezing!_ They had _clearly _not gone deep enough into the jungle to escape the frigid winds of the cold desert night. He shivered involuntarily and pulled his arms and legs closer into his body. Before he walked off to try to warm himself up, he glanced back at Kya who was whimpering quietly in her sleep. _She looked so cold._ It reminded him of the countless nights he had spent alone and awake in the wilderness. The cold was a difficult thing to escape, especially in the rainy season.

He growled irritably at the sight and begrudgingly snapped off a large and leafy branch from a nearby tree. He carried in his mouth over to where she lay and gently pulled it over her body. It probably wouldn't help much, but it would at least shield her from the occasional icy breeze that slipped through the foliage. She stirred slightly as the branch mover across her fur, but to Kiota's relief, didn't wake. Once the leafy branch was in place, Kya grunted softly and buried her muzzle under her arm. Her whimpering stopped and her breathing calmed slightly.

Kiota scowled at himself as he walked away. First he couldn't hurt her, then he couldn't let her get hurt, and now he couldn't even bear to see her uncomfortable! He _had_ to do something to fix this, but what it was, he had no idea. He had tried _everything! _ What more was there to do? His subconscious was changing, and he couldn't stop it!

The disturbing thoughts filled his mind as he walked in a small circle around the clearing. He warmed up quickly, but continued to pace until golden beams of light filtered through the lush canopy and caught the small dust particles in the air like flakes of gold.

When he realized how late the morning had become, he turned back towards the clearing. He emerged through the brush to see Kya with a freshly killed animal. It was some sort of herd animal, but she had chewed it up pretty good already, making its exact species undeterminable.

"Where did you get that?" he asked with surprise.

She swallowed a mouthful of meat before answering. "Not too far away… It was kind of sick, so it was easy to take down."

Kiota nodded and watched her eat in silence, not taking a step forward.

"Aren't you going to have any?" she asked almost as if he had offended her somehow.

He sighed and shrugged. "Fine…" The meat was quite good, if a little gamey. Out of the corner of his eye, Kiota watched Kya to see if she had taken notice of the branch he had given her. He was sure that she was aware of it, but to his relief she did not mention it. The last thing he wanted was to try to explain his brief moment of… whatever it was.

"Come on…" he said softly when only scraps remained of the kill. "Let's go."

Kya nodded and followed him away from the clearing in silence. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was different today. He didn't have his usual distaste for his unwanted company, and she didn't seem to hate him as much as usual.

"Kya?" he asked.

"Usually _I'm_ the one with the questions." She remarked with slight amusement.

"Let me try it once…"

"Fine… shoot."

"Your father was King Nario, wasn't he?"

Her expression instantly darkened. "Yes."

"So you were the princess."

"What's your point?" she snapped.

He shrugged, not really sure himself. "I didn't see any other… _heirs_ when I passed through your pride…"

"Are you going to actually ask a question or not?" she demanded frustratedly.

He nodded. "If you were Nario's _only_ child and heir, then who is ruling your pride _now_?"

She growled angrily. "I'm not just going to tell my life's story to _you!_" she hissed. "There are some things that I'd like to keep private if you don't mind!"

_This was more like their usual relationship_, he thought to himself.

A quiet rustling from a nearby brush caught Kiota's attention. "Kya…" he said quietly, his eyes not leaving the spot.

"No!" she cried. "You started this, and I'm going to finish it!"

More movement from a different bush made Kiota increasingly nervous. _There was something watching them_. "Kya, shut up!"

"No, you shut up!" she declared furiously. "You thin-"

He slapped a paw over her muzzle and pulled her to the ground aggressively.

She struggled furiously against his grip, but he held her fast. "Shhhh…" he whispered urgently. "There's something _watching_ us."

At this, Kya's eyes widened and she stopped struggling. Kiota allowed her out of his tight old and she crouched down next to him in nervous silence.

Soft footsteps padded not too far away.

Kiota growled and leapt from their improvised hiding place and into the middle of the jungle, ready for a fight. At first, nothing happened; the bugs still hummed and the plants didn't move. Then, slowly, a lion emerged from behind a nearby tree. Then another from a bush and a lioness from behind a small boulder. Soon, a small unit of lions stood before the two travelers. They were clearly a combat unit of sorts, but they were different than what Kiota was used to. These fighters were _disciplined_; the way they stood, how they looked, it was all very clear that these were no mercenaries. He growled his nervousness increasing. If these lions were as highly trained as they _appeared_, he probably wouldn't be able to take them all on if they wanted to fight.

Kya stood behind a growling Kiota as a sandy colored lion with many scars approached them slowly from the ranks of lions. He was younger than most of the other fighters that seemed to be subordinate to him, but his eyes seemed wiser than most.

"Who are you?" he asked them.

Kya stepped out from behind Kiota. "My name is Kya." She said quietly.

Kiota growled and pushed her back, irritated at her readiness to give information. The damage, however, was done. "My name is Kiota." He said reluctantly. "Who are _you_?"

"Are you one of Toyo's troops?"

Kiota blinked at the mention of the familiar king. "No..." he said unsurely. "I knew him, but I don't follow him." Whether this was to be in his favor or against him, Kiota couldn't tell. "You never told me who _you_ were."

The lion nodded. "My name is Tanai… this is my unit."


	12. Part 2: Chapter 4

*****Chapter 4*****

"**People in this world look at things mistakenly, and think that what they do not understand must be the void. This is not the true void. It is bewilderment..." **

**(((0)))**

Kiota looked over the lion carefully. He was quite unlike the usual sort of fighter that he dealt with. Strong and balanced, Tanai stared back with vague interest in the rogue. His sandy fur and faint scars made him appear far older than he really was, though Kiota doubted that he was much older than himself. His posture and attitude was clearly that of a leader's; he was cautious but not paranoid, ready but not anticipating, stern but not harsh, disciplined but still managing to maintain a distinct personality unlike many military leaders who become mindless drones to their lord.

"You said your names were Kiota and Kya?" he asked the two travelers.

They nodded, unsure what weight their names held.

Tanai nodded back. "If you don't follow Toyo, then we shouldn't have a problem. What are you doing out here anyways?"

Kiota relaxed a little with the knowledge that Tanai was not looking for a fight. "We're just traveling…"

"To _where_?" the sandy lion replied, waving his troops away to their previous tasks. "The closest kingdom is ours, and that's across the desert."

Kya stepped out from behind the rogue. "We're lost, Kiota just won't admit it."

Kiota growled at her, but she just smiled. "I'm not _lost_; I know exactly where we are."

Tanai grinned. "Then maybe you could tell _me_ where we are. You may know where you are, but I'm a bit out of my element."

"Where are you trying to go?" Kya asked.

"Toyo's kingdom." He replied darkly. "If you could show us the way, it would help."

The Rogue mulled the idea over in his head. "Fine." He replied shortly; he was tired of Kya's company, maybe these fighters would prove more interesting.

Kiota couldn't help but stare at the clearly battle hardened lion. In order for such a young lion to be in charge of such a large unit, he _must_ be a great fighter. He felt his old desires for combat reemerging. _He wanted to fight this new opponent_. As soon as the urge pushed its way into his mind, it was instantly shut down. Killing the crazy lion had only damaged his already shaky mind; killing Tanai would probably only make it worse as well.

"When will you be ready to go?" he asked Tanai.

"In a couple moments, we were just packing up camp when you showed up." He gestured to his team and they went back to what they had been doing before being interrupted by the two travelers.

"You're sure that you can get us to Toyo?" he asked Kiota, almost trying to kill time.

He nodded. "I used to spend a lot of time around his place."

"Doing what?"

"This and that…"

Tanai nodded slowly, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, but didn't press it further.

There was a tense silence for several moments as Kiota and Tanai locked eyes; Kya shifted uncomfortably.

"So why exactly are you going to Toyo's lands?" she asked Tanai both out of curiosity as well as to relieve the tense air. As she spoke, his unit gathered up behind them, ready to leave. Tanai nodded in acknowledgement to them, and started off through the jungle.

"It's complicated." He said darkly, turning to her. "I don't want to bore you."

She snorted amusedly. "Trust me, I've been living with _him_ for almost a _month_ now." she said as she gestured to Kiota. "I doubt you could _possibly_ bore me more than he has. Besides, we've got plenty of time."

Tanai grinned. "Alright," he began slowly, "I guess it started back a couple months ago... Things were normal enough, but we had been hearing stories about King Toyo and his armies. How he's been drastically expanding his boundaries."

"You want to _join_ him?" Kiota asked. _Maybe this military leader wasn't that different from all the others after all._

"No." he said shortly. "He wants _us_ to join him."

"Your unit?"

"No, my pride."

Kya blinked. "You're a king?"

Nearby lions chuckled at the question. "Give him some time; he'll be there soon enough!"

A lioness pushed the speaker away. "Shut up, Hatra. Let him have a _simple_ conversation without you butting in."

"Alright… sorry." Hatra replied lightly as if he was used to it.

Tanai grinned and returned his attention back to Kiota. "I'm the heir."

"The prince?" Kya asked hopefully.

"Only by marriage."

Kiota nodded. "You married the princess so that you would be king?"

Tanai frowned at his insinuation as did the rest of his unit. "No… How we got… _together_ is a little more complicated than that…"

"You seem to say '_it's_ complicated' a lot." Kiota remarked dully. "Had a complicated life?"

A small smile crept across his face. "You have _no_ idea."

"So Toyo wants you to join him…" Kya said in an attempt to return their conversation back to where it was.

"Oh yea, he wanted us to join him. But we're going now to tell him that we won't."

Kiota blinked in surprise. "You _aren't _joining him?"

"No. Never."

This was a bit surprising for the Rogue. Though he himself didn't care to me attached to the king, he could see how others would gladly sell their soul for the power he offered. To see this leader _decline_ the power was unusual to say the least.

"Why?"

Tanai stared at the ground. "Toyo is a ruler of fear; he conquers other kingdoms ruthlessly and without reason. He wants _us_ to help him get what he wants…"

Kya nodded. "You don't want to be a part of that?"

Tanai sighed deeply. "Never." He was silent for a moment, as if trying to decide his next words. "If we had the power to, I'd prefer to _fight_ him, but Toyo's kingdom is just too big now. Our pride can hold its own since we're so far away, but to fight him openly would be suicide."

"You've got a lot of courage to stand up to him like that." Kya remarked quietly, her eyes glazed over from some distant memory.

"It's not courage…" he said softly.

Kiota cocked his head to the side. "Then what is it?"

Tanai shrugged. "I'm just doing what I have to do in order to protect my family."

The rogue nodded slowly, trying to understand Tanai. Unlike every other military leader he had ever met, he actually seemed to _care_ about his troops and his family. He wasn't after wealth or power or anything else, he just wanted his friends to be safe. _How strange_.

"Why do you care so much about your family?" Kiota asked lowly so that Tanai alone could hear him. Though some might have mistaken his question for arrogance, he truly was curious about this lion.

The Pridelander blinked, clearly surprised at the question. "They're my _family_… I love them…"

"Why?"

Tanai grinned. "You can't explain love… Nor can you choose who you feel it for."

"You really think that it's an involuntary thing?"

"My life would have been a hell of a lot easier if I could have _chosen_ when I felt what."

Kiota thought it over, but was interrupted before he could make a conclusion.

"You love _her_, don't you?" Tanai asked as if it was common knowledge, gesturing to Kya.

At this, her head snapped up from her glazed over look. "_What?_" she asked, clearly horrified.

"No, I don't love her." Kiota replied neutrally. "We aren't _together_."

Tanai looked taken aback. "Oh… Well I feel kind of stupid now."

Kya just stared at him. "You actually thought we were _together?_"

"Well you _were_ alone in the woods, what was I supposed to think?"

Kiota suppressed a grin at the sight of Kya's disgusted expression. "She's actually trying to kill me."

"What?"

Kya sighed exasperatedly. "It's complicated…"

Tanai appeared to be quite confused, but didn't press the issue further. They walked in awkward silence for some time before Tanai spoke again. "You're sure that you can get us to Toyo's kingdom?"

Kiota nodded. "Up ahead we'll cross a shallow river and move from the jungle into the savannah. From there it's just a day or two of small hills and valleys until we get into his territory."

"You know this area pretty well…"

"I've traveled a lot."

"I take it that you're a rogue?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Kiota raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had never before had to explain his lifestyle to anyone else. "Pride life isn't for me… It doesn't offer me what I need."

"And what _do_ you need?"

Kya looked at Kiota quizzically, curious as to how he would answer.

"That's a good question…" He responded softly. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The day passed rather uneventfully; soon they ran out of things to talk about and just walked in silence. Kiota didn't care to be around so many other people, but compared to solitude with _Kya,_ this was much better. This new lion was extremely tolerable, if a little preachy. He didn't care much for how Tanai talked so affectionately about his family, but it was overall quite alright. It was weird, but Kiota found him interesting; _he risks his life for others… _Kiota had been in countless fights and killed countless others, but never once had he killed for someone other than himself. Now he was faced with his opposite, who was _clearly_ more satisfied with life than _he_ was. Though, at the end of the day, it was just more for him to think about, as _if he didn't already have enough on his mind_. With the crazy dreams and weird guilty feelings, Tanai was just one more unwanted complication. But it wouldn't be long before he was gone; Kiota figured that he might as well enjoy the separation from Kya. She was always busy talking with Tanai or one of his troops, having deep conversations about life and old stories, and whatever she wanted to talk about.

When the sun finally set, they set up camp alongside the shallow river that Kiota had predicted they would arrive at. Pleased with their progress, Tanai allowed a small hunting party to go out while he set up a security watch for the night. Kiota set himself up on the perimeter of the unit, not really wanting to get involved in the expected events of a military unit's free time. He lay there for a while trying to fall asleep as the sky darkened, also expecting the usual commotion. It never came; Tanai's unit was extremely efficient and went to sleep instantly. There was no messing around or partying; they knew their job and knew how to behave.

After a while, Kya walked over to where Kiota was laying.

"What do you want?" he asked her without even lifting his head.

She shrugged. "Everyone else went to sleep already."

"So you want _me_ to entertain you?"

"No…" she said slowly. "Do you like Tanai?"

"I don't _dislike_ him… which is more than I can say for _you_."

She shrugged off the harsh comment. "It's too bad he's taken…"

"What?"

"He's pretty great, I wish he wasn't already with the _princess_ or whoever."

"You _like-_like him?"

"Yea, he's _hot_."

Kiota laid his head down on the ground. "You're just trying to bother me, aren't you?"

She grinned slightly. "Yea, a little; but there _is_ something that I wanted to talk to you about."

"What could you _possibly_ want from me?"

"I wanted to warn you."

At this his head shot up, expecting a deception of sorts. "Of what?"

"Relax." She said neutrally as she sat beside him. "It's nothing important."

"What is it?"

"I wanted to warn you about… tonight…"

Kiota just stared at her in confusion.

She sighed exasperatedly before continuing. "When you sleep… you usually talk… and growl… and sometimes even yell…"

"What?" he asked in shock. "I do not!"

"Yea, you do." She said plainly. "You've been doing it for a couple weeks now. I just figured that I would tell you so that maybe you could try to _not_ do that with Tanai and everyone else right here."

He just stared into space with a mix of shock and surprise. _Were his dreams really so disturbing that others could see it while he slept?_

"What are you dreaming about?"

The question snapped him back into reality. "What?"

"What are you dreaming about?" she repeated.

"I'm not going to tell you." He said neutrally, almost amused at the idea.

"Why not?"

"No."

"It might help."

"No it wouldn't."

"You don't know that, it certainly can't make things any worse."

"No!" he growled angrily. _This lioness just couldn't take a hint!_

"Fine." She scoffed irritably as she laid down beside him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm going to sleep next to you, that way I'll be able to wake you up if you start getting really noisy again."

"Fine."

"Fine." She said back to him.

_How dense could she be?_ He thought to himself as she laid down next to him. He _clearly_ didn't want to be around her, yet she _insisted_ on trying to help him! His thoughts returned to her offer about discussing his dreams. _It wouldn't hurt his situation_… _Maybe it would even help_. No. Even if he was willing to tell _Kya_ about his dreams, it would be too weird. She would look at him funny, maybe even make fun of his weakness, she would proba- _WAIT!_ He thought suddenly. _Why did he care what she thought?_ If it would help stop the dreams, maybe he _should _talk to her about it; _who cared what she thought?_

"It's the same every night…" he said softly.

"What is?" Kya said groggily, almost asleep.

"My dream…"

She looked at him quizzically. "You're going to tell me about it?"

"I'll tell you a little."

"Okay…" she said, shifting her body so she could see him fully. "Go ahead."

Kiota took a deep breath before beginning. He told her about the misty pool, about his reflection, how it changed into Ojiro, then into the crazy lion. He did _not_ tell her that his reflection also turned into _her_ and her father; that would have been too far. All the while she just listened patiently, occasionally nodding or asking a simple question for clarification. Never on her face was there any sign of judgment or skepticism.

"Then everything goes blurry and I wake up…"

Kya was quiet for a while before speaking. "Why do you think you see Ojiro and that Crazy lion? What's so significant about them?"

He shrugged, his usual aggressiveness gone from his voice and attitude. "I don't know… Killing Ojiro made me feel weird though."

"How so?"

"I don't know… just weird. It was like I had killed _myself_, we were just so alike."

"Because you were both the best?"

"I guess… The only difference was that he was royalty while I was nobody…"

She nodded. "Did you feel the same way when you killed the insane guy?"

"Yea… but I shouldn't have."

"You don't think that you had anything in common with him?"

"I don't. I just can't stop thinking about how I had been there before."

"Been _where_ before?"

"Been so hungry that you're willing to fight _anyone_ and _anything_ just for some meat."

Kya's eyes widened. "You feel weird because you know how they f_elt?_"

"I guess if you want to put it that way."

She gaped at him. "That's called _empathy_, Kiota."

"Empathy?"

She nodded. "It's when you can place yourself in another's situation and understand how and why they fee-"

"_I know what it means!_" he snapped irritably. "But I'm _not_ feeling '_empathy'!_"

She shrugged. "Well, what you described sounds a hell of a lot like empathy, so I don't know what else to say."

"It's _NOT_ empathy." He insisted strongly.

"Whatever, Kiota." She said smugly as she rolled over. "Just try not to make _too_ much noise tonight."

"You're one to talk about making night noises." He said curtly.

She sat up instantly. "What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"No," she insisted. "What did you mean?"

He sighed, not really wanting to go into this discussion right now. "I saw you the other night, talking to the stars."

Her face was the perfect expression of horror. "You were _watching _me?" she hissed angrily.

"For a little while."

"You had no _right _to-"

"Trust me, Kya, I didn't _want_ to watch you, you just woke me up and I went to see what it was all about."

She frowned. "What did you hear?"

"Stuff about your father, your family."

"That's why you asked what my family is doing right now, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yea, it made me wonder how a leader-less pride can _function_."

She stared at him for a while with the face of a ghost. She didn't speak, blink, or even breathe as she gaped at the statement. "_I can tell you_…" she said in a near whisper.

Kiota blinked. "What, how a pride without a leader can function?"

Kya nodded slowly, somehow traumatized by the question. "_It can't."_

*****Author's Note*****

**In the beginning of this whole thing, I received a message from a reader suggesting that I bring Tanai into this. Other comments said that they 'missed' him, and to be completely honest, so did I. He's such a fun character to write for, but I don't feel like I have enough plot to really do a sequel to "Turncoat." That being said, I'm so glad that I was able to weave him into this and give him an 'extension' past his own story. Plus, I really think he can add a lot to the story, especially to Kiota.**

**Thanks again for reading and commenting, but please continue to do so! It's what we writers live for!**

**-Ben**


	13. Part 2: Chapter 5

*****Chapter 5*****

"_**Aspire to be like Mt. Fuji, with such a broad and solid foundation that the strongest earthquake cannot move you, and so tall that the greatest enterprises of common men seem insignificant from your lofty perspective. With your mind as high as Mt Fuji you can see all things clearly. And you can see all the forces that shape events; not just the things happening near to you."**_

**(((0)))**

Kiota stared at Kya for several moments, waiting for her to elaborate. _It can't._ What did that even mean? Did her pride collapse? Break apart? Starve? He stared into her piercing eyes, but she didn't continue. Instead, she laid her head back down onto her paws and closed her eyes. Kiota wanted to pry for more information, but something told him that it would be better to just let it go. If she was this distraught about the _memory _of the event, he doubted that she would be able to readily discuss it.

He sighed and laid his own head down on the ground. _Back to the dreams._ He thought with mock enthusiasm.

The night passed as it usually did, though Kya _did_ wake him as she said she would. He dreamt his distressing and confusing dreams as he always did, with all the same people in the pool. They looked as they always did, but Kiota saw them slightly differently. He felt more uncomfortable than usual as he looked at the changing reflection. _Empathy?_ No, it couldn't be empathy.

Tanai's team woke readily; none of them seemed to be too bothered by waking up early. Within a short amount of time, they were all on the trail again, heading with haste to Toyo's kingdom.

"Sleep alright?" Tanai asked the two travelers as he walked over to them.

Kiota uttered a low growl of irritation, but Kya interrupted him. "We slept fine, how about you?"

"Fine, but I'll sleep better when this is all over."

"Are you worried?" Kya asked with concern on her face.

"Not tremendously… but there's a lot that could happen."

Kiota nodded in understanding. "You don't know how Toyo will respond."

"Exactly. There's not much that he could do to our home since we're so far away, but-"

Kya cut him off. "But you and your unit are _here_ and within his reach."

He nodded. "Toyo might decide to just try to kill us for standing up to him."

"Have you ever met him?" Kiota asked curiously.

"No, have you?"

"Yes."

Tanai waited a moment for the rogue to elaborate, but when it became clear that he wasn't going to, he pushed further. "What is he like?"

"Power hungry… and enthusiastic."

"Enthusiastic about what?"

"Enthusiastic about anything that could give him an edge; more troops, better position, _me_."

"He wanted you?"

Kiota nodded, not really sure why he was telling this to the other lion. "I was the best… he wanted me to train his troops and be his second in command."

A lioness walked up beside them. "It's pretty noble that you declined."

_Noble?_ The word sounded strange in his mind and he almost laughed aloud. There was nothing _noble_ about how he decided to refuse Toyo's offer. He just hadn't wanted to be committed to the king.

"Good morning, Tint." Tanai greeted. "And yea, that is pretty noble."

Kya snorted. "It wasn't _noble_."

Tint looked taken aback. "Why not?"

Kiota spoke before Kya could reveal anything more. "I did it for me, not anyone else."

She shrugged. "Still, the last thing Toyo needs is _more_ soldiers. You may not have done it for anyone else, but you _did_ probably end up helping someone."

"Maybe." He said neutrally.

Tint looked at him for a moment in curiosity, then turned to Tanai. "Mardok and Fila came back from the scouting mission a little while ago."

The Pridelander's expression lightened instantly. "Good, did they find anything?"

"Not really, seems to be clear sailing for at least the next day or so…"

"…But?" Kya said slowly, sensing the continuation.

Tint shrugged uncomfortably. "It's probably nothing, but they found tracks and some other signs of..."

"Lions?" Tanai offered.

"Maybe, but maybe some other cats instead."

He was silent while he thought it over. "Any real signs of danger?"

"No, just some paw prints and trampled grass."

He nodded. "Then let's keep going. Put the unit on alert though, I don't want to be surprised."

"Yes sir." She agreed before falling back to the rest of the unit.

Tanai looked slightly troubled, and Kya was troubled because _he_ was troubled. "Are you worried?" she asked him.

He was silent for a while. "No… but I don't want to take any chances. I'll be back."

With that, he turned to go attend to his unit. With Tanai gone, Kya and Kiota were left alone once more.

"You had the dreams again last night?"

"What gave it away?"

She shrugged. "When you started whimpering, it was pretty obvious."

"I was _not_ whimpering!" he said with a tinge of anger.

"Fine, you weren't whimpering."

They walked along in strained silence for a while, neither really knowing what to say to the other. Kiota glanced at her, only to see her do the same thing at the exact same moment. They both quickly returned their gaze to the ground in embarrassment.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to your pride?" he asked finally; the question had been lingering in his mind all day.

"_No_." she said simply with surprising anger.

"Fine."

"Fine."

_God she was dense_. He thought to himself. He absolutely _hated_ how she would just want to talk about anything and everything, but when the conversation turned to _her_ and her _own_ history, she closed up faster than a venus fly trap. As if her incessant attitude wasn't enough, her attitude _changes_ were enough to drive _anyone_ insane. However, Kiota could not deny that his attitude towards her was changing. He didn't necessarily hate _her_ anymore, but he did hate everything _about_ her. Though, even _that_ was becoming harder to identify; sure he hated her attitude, but what exactly _about_ her attitude that annoyed him was becoming more and more lost as they spent more time together. All he knew was that he did _not_ like her.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

"This was the area, sir."

Tanai nodded. "Thank you Mardok…" he replied as they passed through the savannah. They had been right about the signs; paw prints and trampled grass dotted the landscape as if a small group had passed through recently.

The unit moved silently; all conversations halted in case of an ambush. They moved quickly, but imperceptibly to any outside observer. Kya tried to be as quiet as the rest of the unit, but she didn't have the experience or training that the others had. As a result, she sacrificed stealth for speed; occasionally breaking a twig or breathing harder than she should have.

Kiota glared at her occasionally in a vain attempt to silence her, but it couldn't be helped.

"_I'm sorry!"_ she mouthed silently.

He just scowled and returned his attention to the unit's movement.

Suddenly everyone halted at the signal of Tanai's tail. The sharp flick made everyone drop, and the two travelers followed in suit. Soft rustling ahead made them all tense; _was it some of Toyo's troops?_ They stayed there for several moments, unmoving and waiting for the unseen threat to reveal itself, though as soon as they stopped, so did the sounds.

They waited for many minutes in a vain attempt to hear more of whatever was ahead. Eventually it became obvious whatever they had heard was determined to remain as quiet as they were, so Tanai motioned for two nearby soldiers to advance through the brush towards the source of the noise. The two lions crept softly, all eyes of the entire unit upon them, but they didn't seem nervous at all. They had clearly been scouts like this before.

Had Kiota not been watching them advance, he would have found it extremely difficult to identify their pale fur and visually follow them as they blended with the foliage around them. He wasn't sure exactly when, but soon enough they disappeared from sight. Everyone was tense as they waited for something to happen.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" A piercing shriek pierced the air making everyone rise to their feet in a flash. Tanai was the first into the brush, followed closely by the rest of his unit.

Kya tried to follow suit, but Kiota was between her and the cry and _he _wasn't moving. _Better wait until we know it's safe._ He figured.

Several more high pitched screams erupted from an unseen location, making his ears twitch irritably. Once they died down, he walked forwards cautiously. Kya pushed past him aggressively, eager to help their new friends. In a flash, she disappeared into the brush, leaving Kiota alone on the trail.

_Fine._ He thought bitterly. He didn't really know why, but he started off after her. The grass slid past his face like rain during a storm, making him squint slightly to preserve his vision. He abruptly burst from the brush into a small area of matted grass. Not too far away sat almost 10 or fifteen lionesses and cubs surrounded by Tanai and some of his fighters. The rest of the unit was spreading out in all directions, probably looking for others.

As he approached, Kiota observed the sheer and complete fear that was splashed across the faces of the young lions. The older lionesses held their cubs tightly and glared at the surrounding soldiers with determination. Soft whimpering could be heard from even the older cubs.

"Who are you?" Tanai asked calmly, even sympathetically.

"P-please…" one teenage lioness said softly. "Don't hurt us…"

Tanai blinked in surprise. "We aren't going to hurt you; I just want to know who you are."

Some of the fearful lions exchanged confused glances. "Aren't you one of _Toyo's _hunters?"

Kya stepped up beside the Pridelander. "What?" she cried incredulously. "Of course not!"

Relieved sighs escaped the lungs of some of the weary lionesses, but most remained at least confused.

"My name is Tanai…" he began slowly. "We're from a long ways away and have _no _connection with King Toyo."

An older lioness stepped forwards from the group with the look of a hunted animal on her face. "You're _serious_?" she asked in a near whisper. "You _aren't_ here to kill us?"

Tanai shook his head confusedly. "Why would anyone want to kill you?"

She was quiet for a while, a small boy cub trembling under her feet. "I'm sorry… we've been through a lot in the past week…"

"Well you're safe now." Kya assured her. "We won't let anything happen to you."

The look of pure relief and gratefulness spread across the old lioness's face. "Really?"

Tanai nodded in agreement. "Stay here for the moment; I need to talk to my squad leaders."

She nodded blankly while Tanai left. Kiota and Kya watched as he engaged Hatra and several others in some conversation. From the looks of it, he was setting them up in a perimeter around the field.

Kya turned and looked at Kiota apprehensively. He just stared back without emotion.

_This wasn't good_. He thought irritably to himself. If Tanai was as _kind_ of a leader as he seemed to be, these disheveled lionesses and cubs would undoubtedly be hanging around them for quite a while longer. It wasn't that he _disliked_ them, it was hard to hate such a miserable crowd, but he did _not_ want to be attached to them. They were slow, would require maintenance, and worst of all, they would be _annoying_. He groaned inwardly as Kya began to tend to some of their needs including food and water.

"Kiota," she called much to his displeasure. "Can you go catch something for them?"

"No." he replied simply. "If there was anything nearby, it was probably scared away by the _screams_."

A couple young lionesses lowered their gaze in vague embarrassment. "Sorry…" one whispered quietly. "We thought…"

Kya looked at her curiously, waiting for her to continue, but the unnamed lioness just shook her head and resumed her silence.

Kiota wasn't surprised, if they had experienced something bad enough to make them paranoid of any passing lions, they _certainly_ weren't going to explain it to the same strangers that had scared them senseless.

"What happened to you?" Kya asked softly.

_They won't tell you._ Kiota thought to himself. Just as he predicted, the crowd remained silent.

"We can't _help_ you if we don't know what's wrong…" she added sympathetically.

To Kiota's surprise, the old lioness from before rose to her feet. "I'll tell you… But alone." She said miserably, gesturing to her family. "They don't need to relive the event."

Kya nodded in understanding and the two walked to sit under a nearby tree. Though he didn't want to be near Kya right now, Kiota could not deny that he was curious about this crowd's history. _What were they running from?_ He followed the departing lionesses and sat down beside Kya.

"My name is Lela…" she began softly. "I am… _was_ the queen of my pride."

Footsteps from the side made Kiota look to see Tanai approaching them. He nodded to her to continue and sat patiently to listen.

Lela took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "We were a smaller sized pride… at the base of the mountains. We never bothered anybody, and nobody bothered us… until Toyo's troops came."

"They wanted you to join them?" Tanai asked.

She nodded with visible grief. Clearly this old lioness had been through a lot; her fur was matted and her eyes were fearful despite the dark lines of sleeplessness. Whatever Toyo had done, it was certainly worse than just a conquest issue.

"Yes… but they wanted more than that. Toyo wanted our _children_."

"_What?_" Kya and Tanai asked in shocked unison. Kiota was surprised as well, but was careful to not let it show.

"If we were to join him, he promised that the rest of us would be left alone except for an occasional tribute, but we had to give all our fighters and all of our cubs to his army."

"What good are _cubs_ to the _army?_" Kya asked incredulously.

Tanai shook his head in dismay. "Train a soldier from birth, and he will fight for you forever. I've seen it before, but not like this."

Lela lowered her head. "Toyo gave us a week to accept… if we refused he promised that we would all be killed and our cubs would be taken by _force_."

"You _left_." Kya whispered.

It was a touchy subject to say the least, and Lela winced at Kya's words. "We had no _choice_... all our fighters, including our king, stayed to give us time to escape. They didn't stand a _chance_ against Toyo's army. We ran and ran, but they could still find us even here. If _anyone _from Toyo's kingdom finds us, we will _all _die and our _cubs _will be forced into his army."

"That's why you were so afraid of us…" Kya said softly. "You thought we were part of Toyo's army."

"There aren't any other military forces in the area… We figured that it _had_ to be his troops."

Tanai's face was the expression of pure pity. "I'm so sorry." He offered. "You did the right thing to protect your children… your husband and other fighters were very brave."

A lone tear from the former queen's face fell; it was a surprise that she had any tears left to shed. "Thank you, and yes… they were."

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

"What are we going to do?" Hatra asked Tanai urgently. "We can't just _leave _them here!"

Tanai shook his head. "We _won't."_

"But we can't bring them _with_ us either!" Kya countered. "We're heading _straight_ to Toyo's Kingdom; they'd be killed as soon as they stepped into their sight!"

The Pridelanders and company stood in a small circle not too far away from the refugees. Kiota was among them, but he kept silent. He didn't feel much sympathy for the runaways, but many of them _did_ make him uneasy. It was as if some strange emotion was trying to emerge from the depths of his soul, but couldn't quite materialize on the surface.

Tanai nodded slowly at Kya's comment. "We won't take them with us… but we won't leave them alone either…"

Everyone was quiet while they waited for him to elaborate.

"Kiota…" he said finally. "How difficult is it to reach Toyo's kingdom from here?"

The rogue thought for a moment before responding, not wanting to give an inaccurate answer. "Pretty easily; just keep heading west through the savannah for another day or so… We've been on kind of a trail if you've noticed."

"It will lead us directly there?"

"Yes, there aren't any more obstacles."

He was quiet again as he thought to himself. "Kya, Kiota… you both have been a huge help to us; can you do one last thing?"

The lioness stepped forward intently. "Of course, what is it?"

Kiota narrowed his eyes subtly at her enthusiasm. _At least find out what the job is before you commit us completely to it!_

Tanai allowed a short smile cross his face. "We can find our way from here, would you take the refugees _back_ to the place that you found us?"

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Why?"

"Me and my team will go to Toyo's kingdom and finish our business there. Afterwards we'll come back the way we came and regroup with you and them. We'll take them across the desert and to our pride for their protection."

"Are you sure that you will be able to find us again?" Kiota asked doubtfully.

"Yea, now that we've gotten a little accustomed to the area, we'll do fine."

He was about to ask another question, but Kya cut him off. "Of course we'll do it."

Kiota groaned inwardly at her eager acceptance; he _really_ didn't feel like playing babysitter.

Tanai nodded in gratefulness to the two travelers. "Thank you; it's nice to know that there are still people like yourselves out there to help people when they need it."

Kya's eyes were gleaming with pride from his commendation. "It's nice to know that there are still people like you who will stand up to kings like Toyo."

He nodded in appreciation, then glanced over her shoulder to where the refugees sat not too far away. "They still need to agree to it though…"

With that, he led the group of lions over to Lela and the rest of the traumatized crowd. He explained the idea slowly and thoroughly to them; the refugees stayed quiet throughout as they listened intently.

"You're sure that we'll be safe across the desert?" Lela asked when he finished.

Tanai nodded. "Yes. Toyo can't hardly touch _us_ where we are, there's no way that he would be able to even _catch up_ to you."

She nodded slowly, considering the offer. "So you will meet up with us and take us with you when you cross the desert?"

Kya stepped forward. "We'll take care of you until then."

Kiota stayed silent throughout the whole discussion; he really didn't like how it was all coming together but he wasn't going to be the reason it all fell apart. He didn't _want _to be the refugees' escort back to the desert, and he didn't _want_ to be alone with Kya again, but he wasn't being given much of a choice. He wasn't really sure why, but he just couldn't bring himself to refuse the job. Maybe it was because he kind of liked Tanai, maybe it was because the refugees were slightly pitiful, maybe it was even because Kya was so set on it. Maybe it was a combination of _all_ of them, but he didn't know. All he knew was that he didn't have the willpower to refuse the task they needed him to perform.

For better or worse, the decision had been made. The refugees readily agreed to the plan once they were sure that it would all work out. After that, everything happened surprisingly fast. Tanai's unit picked up camp and was ready to leave in a matter of minutes.

"Thanks again for all your help." Tanai said to Kya and Kiota before he left the area.

Kya grinned. "We're glad to do it… we'll see you in a few days."

Kiota nodded in agreement but didn't say anything.

"Well it means a lot to them." He shot them a final smile before turning away toward his unit.

The two travelers watched the fighters shrink into the distance as the sun began to sink from midday. Once they had disappeared from sight, Kiota turned back to the refugees who were busy eating from a pair of carcasses brought to them by the Pridelanders. _They were a pretty miserable sight to say the least._ He shrugged and was about to walk away when Kya stepped in his way.

"What?" he asked her neutrally.

For a moment, she looked to be at a loss for words. Then she regained her composure and began, "Thank you."

He blinked. "What?"

"Thank you, Kiota…" she repeated. "For doing this."

"I wasn't given much _choice_ in the matter, but sure." He growled as he pushed past her.

"You could have said _no_," she said as she fell into step beside him. "But you didn't. Thank you."

Suddenly he had to know. He had to know why it all mattered so much to her, why she was doing this. He stopped and looked her in the eyes with unfocused anger. "Why do you care so much about them?" he said, gesturing to the refugees. "What have _they_ ever done for _you_?"

Though he expected her to cringe back from his harsh question, Kya stared straight back into Kiota's eyes with that familiar determination and focus that had plagued his dreams.

She took a deep breath. "You really want to know?"

He nodded.

Kya looked at the refugees for a long time with a distant look. Her eyes shown with guilt of past mistakes and grief for those lost. Though, despite everything, she did not appear weak at all. Her shoulders were held high and her back straight. If anything, she commanded an air of resilience that would have been envied by any soldier. Whatever she was dealing with, she was almost finished with coming to peace with it.

"They remind me of my family…"

"What?"

She hung her head. "My family… we went through the same thing."

Her statement made him think back to the night before. _What had she meant when she said that a leaderless pride cannot survive? _"Are you going to tell me what happened to them?"

She was quiet for several moments before answering. "Yes…"

He followed her over to a nearby tree in silence, not wanting to disturb the strange air of somberness that had suddenly materialized in the humid African air. He didn't rush her for fear of making her change her mind, and instead just waited patiently, a difficult thing for him to do.

She took a deep breath before beginning. "Like I said, my family and I went through the same thing… _but it didn't end as well for us_. We received Toyo's demands several days after you came through and the soldiers came only a few days after that."

Kiota tilted his head to the side slightly. "They demanded the same thing of you?"

Kya nodded solemnly. "Yes. They wanted all of our cubs and younger members in exchange for allowing us to live…"

It was pretty clear to him what happened. "You refused?"

"Of course…" she said as if in a daze. Her eyes were glazed over as if in a trance and her words were barely more than a shallow breath. "…but we lacked the leadership to defend ourselves." Kya lowered her eyes to the floor. "Without my father… our fighters were _slaughtered_ easily. _They took the cubs…_ I couldn't stop them."

Her despair was obvious as tears began to trickle down her cheeks and quiet sobs racked her chest. "My mother told me to _run away_.._._ so I _did_._" _She looked up at him with hard eyes. "I left to find _you_."

Suddenly it all made sense. "You blame _me_ for everything that happened." He said in a near whisper.

Kya was quiet for a long while, just staring into space while lost in her own thoughts. Kiota didn't rush her, he _couldn't_. But the way she _looked_ at him… it was just too much to take. _It was his fault_. Kiota didn't feel hardly any unease over her father's death, but the death of the _entire pride_ was not something that he had been intending. It was disturbing for him to think that he had ruined so many _other_ lives from the death of a single king.

"I'm sorry…" he said to both of their surprise. "I understand why you hate me now."

The shock on her face was clear, but she recovered quickly. "I _did_ hate you_._" She began slowly. "But things have changed... _You_ have changed."

He blinked in surprise. _He had changed? _Now that he looked at himself, it was certainly a true statement. He was far more tolerant of others than he had been several months earlier and his mind was on far more things than simply fighting. In fact, he didn't really even feel the _need_ to fight; he had already pushed himself to the farthest point possible, what more was there to prove?

"I'm not saying that I forgive you for what you did to my father or my family," she continued with tears still in her eyes. "But I don't think that you are the same person that you were when it all happened."

_That's the problem,_ he thought bitterly. There was _something_ wrong with him that was changing who he was, and she didn't seem to get that. All she cared about was that he was _nicer_; he resisted the urge to sneer at her comment. _Of course he had changed, but he was still planning on changing back to his true self._ For now though, there wasn't much else to do. Even if it _was_ irritating, he couldn't help but admire her strength after everything she had been through; for her to 'not hate' him anymore was quite an impressive feat.

She took another deep breath. "You're taking these poor lions on as your responsibility, and asking for nothing in return. I never thought that I would see you do that…"

He snorted. "Me neither."

"Like I said before, Kiota… _Thank you._" Her eyes glinted brilliantly. "You're really making a difference in their lives, and…" she stopped a moment while she contemplated her next words. "I wish that my family would have had someone like you to help them."

_But if it hadn't been for me, they wouldn't have needed someone like me,_ he reminded himself darkly. What could he do though?

"Thank you, Kya." He said as kindly as he could. "I don't hate you like I used to, either."

As the sun sank lower into the sky, a small smile parted across the lioness' tear stained muzzle at her former enemy.

*****Author's Note***  
*Whew* This was a long one wasn't it? God I wish I could update faster than this! I've got the ENTIRE script written in my head, but I've only got a few minutes each night to work on it! Oh well, it's a long weekend so hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sooner. Thanks for all the reviews, please keep them coming!**

**-Ben**


	14. Part 2: Chapter 6

*****Chapter 6*****

"_**It is critical that you think everything is an opportunity to kill." **_

**(((0)))**

_He had changed?_ _How had it happened so drastically? Could he still fix himself? How could he do it? How could he retrieve the simple, efficient, and fulfilling life that he had once lived?_

Kiota shook his head for what seemed like the tenth time in the past ten minutes. He looked behind him to make sure that all the refugees were still there, they were, and returned his attention to the trail that they were walking down. The self- asked questions were giving him a headache, and his answers were sending him in complete circles that ultimately brought him back to his first question. He tried to clear his mind for a while, but eventually the questions and thoughts returned. _He just couldn't shake it off!_

Though he had appreciated how Kya had finally told him about her family the night before, her reasons were very disturbing. She told him because she was sure that he had _changed_! If _she_ was certain that he had changed, his behavior change must have been _extremely_ noticeable. Kya was always looking for the _worst_ in him; if she had noticed and held onto the _kindness_ then he was worse off than he had originally thought. It only made him that much more anxious to get rid of these refugees and preferably Kya as well. He _needed _to figure this out before it was too late; he got the feeling that if he waited too long, he would live the rest of his life in this state of chronic confusion and aimlessness that he had been living in for the past few months, plagued by doubt and nightmares, unable to gain satisfaction in anything.

"So you're going to take us somewhere safe?" a small voice asked.

Kiota looked down at the ground next to him to see a small boy cub looking up at him expectantly.

"No." he replied curtly. "I'm taking you somewhere to wait for Tanai, and _he _will take you somewhere safe."

"Oh…" the cub said rather disappointedly. "But are you going to _keep_ us safe until then?"

"I don't think I'll _have _to. We're far enough away from Toyo's lands so that his forces won't be anywhere near us."

The cub nodded slowly and stared at the ground, deep in thought. "But if they _were_ out here, you _would_ protect us... Right?"

Kiota growled irritably at the endless questions of the young cub. "I suppose, but I'm only _one_ lion."

The little furball's head cocked to the side. "But… you're _Kiota_."

"Yes. _And?_"

"You're the _best_."

"Don't you have someone _else_ to annoy?"

The cub frowned. "That's exactly what my _sister_ told me a couple minutes ago."

Kiota felt a twang of minor guilt, but quickly shook it off. The cub _was_ quite pitiful; he looked hungry and unkempt, surely a consequence of the constant travel. The rogue wondered for a moment where his parents were, but the answer was clear. There were only a handful of adults in the group, and there were many cubs and teen lions. More than likely, this cub's parents had stayed behind with the rest of the pride to give them all time to escape.

"Hey there buddy!" Kya called as she walked up next to them, shooting Kiota a nasty glare as she approached.

"Hi…" he responded, slightly focused on something else in his mind.

She bent down next to him. "Kiota's a little busy right now… with… something… but _I've_ got something that I think you would like."

The cub's eyes rose in curiosity. "What is it?"

"Follow me, it's over here." With that, Kya led the young cub over to a nearby log, probably to show him some strange bug or mouse to try and catch.

Kiota watched them go, taking pleasure in their departure. It was weird; he really did _not_ like to be around these refugees, but at the same time he couldn't help but be slightly… affected by them. What that meant, he wasn't really sure. All he knew was that he felt _different_ being their guide.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The day passed uneventfully and the group made steady progress back towards the desert. By evening, they had reached the river that Kiota had Tanai and his unit over only a few days earlier. As they prepared to lay down for the night, Kiota watched over them with distant eyes. To any outside observer, he was clearly watching over the poor refugees to ensure their safety. Kya, however, could see the conflict behind his eyes.

"You really don't want to be doing this, do you?" she asked bluntly as she came to sit beside him.

"What was your first clue?"

"Probably when you were being a jerk to that little cub."

He snorted. "He was annoying."

"His parents are _dead_. It's natural for him to try to find some new role models to guide him."

"I'm not that role model."

"Clearly."

The almost friendly conversation that they had shared the night before was gone, replaced by the usual bickering and irritability that had become the norm.

"I just want to be left alone right now, Kya." He said after a long silence.

"You've been alone _all day_." She said with a near smile. "You growled at me every time I got within ten _feet_ of you."

"Do you want me to growl _now?_" he said darkly.

Kya rolled her eyes. "You don't _scare_ me, Kiota." The words bit into him harshly. "I stopped caring about myself a long time ago."

A rustling in the bushes made Kiota turn sharply. He was silent, waiting for it to occur again.

"What is i-"

"Shut up, Kya." He said lowly.

For the first time in a while, she obeyed his command, clearly sensing the urgency in his voice.

The rogue stared into the brush with searching eyes. With the setting sun, the forest was dim and obscure, the worst possible lighting to find what lay beneath the thin veil of leaves. Kiota silently stepped forwards, keeping his body low to the ground. Kya watched him tensely, not wanting to disturb him.

He was about to enter the brush when he turned back to her. "_Stay here_." he mouthed before stepping through the foliage. Kya nodded, and prepared to wait.

Kiota moved silently along the forest floor, quieter than the rodents that occasionally ran past him. Minor movement up ahead caught his eye, but he was unable to discern a figure. He approached slowly, using the leaves as cover and concealment.

A dark figure came into view, but it was still too obscure to make out. Two yellow eyes opened from the form and locked with Kiota's. For a moment they just stared at each other, almost unwilling to admit that the other had seen them.

In a flash, the black figure bolted away, Kiota following hotly on its heels. They raced through the dimly lit forest in a blur; leaping over logs and around trees. Kiota was careful to avoid the soft ground that would make him slip and the low hanging vines that would make him trip.

The figure that he was chasing was extremely agile; it turned corners on a dime and never lost any speed from its maneuvers. Despite the creature's remarkable skill, Kiota managed to keep up with it. In its wake, Kiota smelled a strange smell; one that was rare in the jungle and more common in the savannah. _Fire_. It wasn't a _burning_ fire, but the lion ahead smelled like the ashes left over from a grass fire. _Strange_, he thought to himself.

Without warning, the figure skidded to a halt. Kiota did the same when he saw the massive boulder that stood in their way. The animal turned to face him with its yellow eyes and growled angrily. At first, Kiota thought that it was a panther because of its black fur… but then he saw the mane. _It was lion_… _A black furred lion_.

Kiota blinked out of surprise; lions with black pelts were something out of myth, they didn't _exist_ except in legends. The lion roared and moved like he was going to attack, but instead sprinted away. Kiota was about to chase after him to find out what he was doing so close to them, but quickly realized that the dark lion was already too far away. The strange colored coat had distracted him long enough for the wearer to get a decent head start. There was no way that Kiota would be able to keep up with him.

He growled irritably and swiped at a nearby plant in frustration, severing the stalk. He started his march back to the group of refugees, unsure what to make of the lion.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

"Well?" Kya asked when he returned. "What was it?"

Kiota just frowned. "I don't know… but I don't like it." He pushed past her and kept walking.

"You didn't see it?" she asked, falling into step beside him.

"I saw it… it just…"

"Just what?"

Kiota shook his head. "It was a black-furred lion."

Kya cocked her head in confusion. "That's not possible… they don't exist."

"I didn't think so either."

"Are you sure that you _saw_ right? It wasn't just the lighting or anything?"

"It was a lion with black fur, Kya." He said irritably. "I got a good look."

"What did you say?" a nearby voice said tensely.

The pair turned to see Lela stand from her resting place and walk over to them. "You said that you saw a _black _lion?" she said in a near whisper.

Kiota nodded. "I think he was watching us."

She swore and gestured them to follow her away from the other refugees.

"What is it, Lela?" Kya asked softly.

The former queen shook her head. "It's _them_!"

"Who?"

"Toyo's troops."

"How do you know?"

Lela sighed and sat down. "They were the ones that came for our cubs… the black furred lions."

Kiota frowned. "I always thought that black furred lions were a myth."

She nodded. "They _are_. They don't _really _have black fur; they just cover themselves in black charcoal from grass fires until their furs are _stained_ black." She closed her eyes. "It's part of their _intimidation_ factor…"

"These were the ones that came for your children?" Kya asked tenderly, not wanting to provoke any extreme emotions.

Lela was quiet for a moment. "They're _Toyo's_ hunters… it's their unit's job to find new soldiers, and kill those who resist. They were the ones that killed our _family_."

"How many are there?" Kiota asked.

"Not many, but enough to do their work. Ten, maybe more."

Kya nodded solemnly before turning to Kiota. "What do we do, then?"

"We move." He replied neutrally. "At dawn." This was only a scout, the rest of them are probably much farther back."

Lela nodded in agreement; there was no point in waking everyone up and marching them in the dark. She thanked them again for their help and went back to her sleeping spot, hiding her fear well for her pridemates.

After she had left, Kya turned to Kiota. "You know that we can't outrun them, we have too many old lionesses and too many young cubs."

He nodded. "We'll make do."

"How?"

He shrugged. "We'll just wait for Tanai to come back."

"He probably only _just_ left Toyo's Kingdom, assuming that he didn't run into any trouble along the way. There's no way that he'll get here before the hunters do!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

She frowned. "No."

"Then let's see how far we can get before they catch up with us."

"And if they _do_ catch up with us?"

Kiota was silent.

"You could fight them." She offered.

He stayed silent while he walked away.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The night passed uneventfully; Kiota must have been right about the one lion being a scout, otherwise they surely would have been attacked. In the morning they headed out, faster than before. Word soon spread of the hunters, and the runaways were eager to leave.

Kiota isolated himself at the front of the line as he had the day before. His head was filled with thoughts again, but this time they were different. The new issue took the place of his former dilemmas. No longer was he concerned with his changing persona, but with the threat of Toyo's hunters. He doubted that Tanai would show up before the black lions had caught up with them, and he doubted even more their ability to repel their attack. Assuming that they weren't _too_ highly trained, he estimated that he would be able to kill around _half_ of them. That left the _other_ half to Kya and the refugees. He shook his head, it just wouldn't work. Besides the _how_ aspect of the fight, _why_ was he doing it in the first place? He owed nothing to these refugees, and he had no reason to fight Toyo's soldiers! He went through all the possible scenarios in his head over and over again, searching for an out. If he fought the hunters, he would either _die, _or become an enemy to Toyo. Just because he didn't want to _serve_ the king, didn't mean that he wanted to be his enemy. No matter how he approached this problem, he couldn't find a way to make everything right.

The idea came to him in a flash. He knew how to make everything right… he knew how he could make it all work out to his advantage. Everything, even the other problems, would be solved. If the hunters caught up with them, everything would be fine.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

By evening they had pushed deep into the jungle and Kiota had them set up camp on top of a small hill. He watched the surrounding brush intently, he had no doubt that the hunters would be there soon; it was only a matter of time.

"What's the plan?" Kya asked him quietly. "If you even _have_ one…"

Kiota stared straight ahead at the brush. "I _do_ have a plan."

"Care to let me in on it?"

"Not yet."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't press the issue. "You're doing the right thing, Kiota… with helping them."

He snorted. "Am I now?"

"You are."

He looked at her. "You judge too quickly."

A look of confusion crossed her face, but her eyes locked onto something far off in the distance. "Kiota!" she gasped.

He turned to look at what she had seen. The blood-red sunset was painting a hillside a deep red hue and revealing what lay on it. Kiota watched with neutrality as he watched about ten black specs descend the slope of the hill. From what he could tell, they were about two and a half miles away. They would be here in only a few hours.

"What's our plan?" she asked him urgently.

He looked at her for a moment with a blank expression. "_Our _plan?"

"Just tell me!"

"_My_ plan only concerns _me_."

Kya looked about ready to explode. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

Kiota was silent for a moment. "I'm leaving." He stated bluntly.

A few heads of the refugees looked up from nearby. Murmurs ran through the crowd like wildfire.

"_What?_" Kya gasped.

"I'm leaving."

"Where?"

"Away from you all."

The look of betrayal was clear on everyone's faces. "_Why_?"

Kiota looked up at the sky. "I have nothing to gain from staying here and fighting the hunters, but I do have everything to lose. I refuse to die with the rest of you as if I was some filthy herd animal."

His words stung everyone that could hear them and sent a wave of silence throughout the refugees.

"They _need_ you, Kiota." Kya whispered, a tear visible in her eye. "We _all_ need you."

"I wish I could _help_." He replied sarcastically before pushing past her in the opposite direction of the hunters.

Kya watched him leave in silence, silent tears streaming down her face. Suddenly a deep rage set into her. She roared angrily and leapt at the departing rogue.

Kiota ducked under her and allowed her to skid across the ground. Before she could rise, he pinned her with his paws on her shoulders.

"I THOUGHT YOU CHANGED!" she yelled furiously.

A grin spread across his face. "You thought wrong."

The look of horror was clear on her face. "I thought you _changed_…" she said again, this time softer and more despairingly.

Kiota removed himself from her body and looked back to the refugees' dejected faces. They had no more hope. Their only savior had turned his back and fled to avoid sharing their fate. There was nothing more that they could do. Some were crying, some were swearing, some were praying.

_Praying_. Kiota scoffed at the effort. He turned his back on them and walked past Kya who was sobbing on the ground. _Pitiful_. He pushed aside the brush and disappeared into the foliage.

He walked for many minutes, fast enough to lose anyone who might be following him and soon arrived in a field on the edge of the jungle. From here he could see a distant river and beyond that the desert with mountains on the horizon. _Maybe that was where Tanai and his pride lived_.

Kiota inhaled deeply and tasted the sweet evening air that surrounded him. _He was free_. He was no longer burdened by the refugees, and Kya was gone; the hunters would surely do what he had been unable to do. Now he could finally return all of his focus and effort to _himself_. Just as he always had done before. He could return himself to who he had been, and regain the strength he had found in the simple ways of the _rogue warrior_.


	15. Part 2: Chapter 7

*****Chapter 6*****

"_**It is critical that you think everything is an opportunity to kill." **_

**(((0)))**

The air was cool, the night was dark, and Kiota was thrilled. Everything he had wanted was laid out in front of him like a perfectly wrapped gift. He was free to roam the savannah _alone_ once more as he had used to before _Kya_. Before _Ojiro_. Before _everything_. He thought back to how she had lunged at him to stop him from leaving. _How pathetic._ True, she and the other refugees would surely die at the hands of Toyo's hunters, but still. She could at least maintain a little bit of her dignity.

He looked across the landscape that lay before him. He had reached the edge of the vast field and entered into the dark jungle grove that stood in the center of this massively open grassland. He didn't really care where he was going; he just knew that he was going _away_ from everything that had been troubling him so deeply. Kya was just so _annoying_. Her eyes were too much like his own and she was too… _something_. It was nice to get away from her.

_But she was going to die._ The thought flashed through his mind for barely an instant before he shut it out again. _She deserved it_. It was _she_ who had wanted to help the refugees; it was her who had insisted on staying with them. Besides, he should have killed her when he had first fought her; she was already on borrowed time. _No, _he decided. _It was far better for him to be alone again_.

Still, it was _strange_ to be alone once more. He felt… _alone_. Maybe that was only a natural part of being alone, but this time it felt different, like something was missing. The silence that replaced Kya's rhythmic breathing and footsteps seemed foreign and out of place. Kiota shrugged, it had been months since he had been truly alone, there was no wonder why it felt odd. Still… it was strange.

The quiet sound of footsteps made him turn sharply. "Kya?" he asked with a tinge of hopefulness. Nothing was there, and Kiota blinked in surprise at his own behavior. _Why had he been hopeful? _He _wanted_ to be alone!

He growled irritably and turned away to continue on the path through the jungle. _He was still not right!_ He had thought that by leaving Kya and the other refugees to the wolves; so to speak, he would have almost shocked himself out of being this… sympathetic _waste_ that he had become. But no, he had managed to maintain this debilitating weakness that had plagued him for so long. In fact, now that he thought about it, he felt worse that _ever!_ It was late and the moon was fully risen, but he refused to stop and sleep. If he felt this bad while _awake_, his dreams were sure to be terrible this night. The rogue shuddered at the thought of the strange dreams with the misty pool of other's reflections and sufferings. It was _not_ something that he wanted to revisit at that point in time. The thought of seeing Kya and everyone else again was just too daunting.

He swore loudly with audible anger and swiped across a nearby tree, leaving deep gouges in the bark. _WHY DID IT ALL MATTER SO MUCH?_ He _HATED_ Kya! Why couldn't he stop _thinking_ about her? He tried to push her out of his mind but despite his best efforts, he just couldn't do it.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" he screamed to the listening silence of the jungle, just as the soft footsteps returned to his rear. He whirled around once more to see the black foliage of the jungle staring back at him.

Kiota sighed deeply. _"Am I going insane?"_ he said softly. He had never really questioned his sanity before, but then, he had never been this mentally distraught before.

To his surprise, the jungle answered. "Depends what you mean by i_nsane_."

He stared at the blackness for a few moments in stunned silence. _Had the brush actually answered him?_ "Ummm… what?" he asked slowly.

A pair of deep yellow eyes burst from the leaves and pushed him over onto his back. Kiota just stared up in surprise at the old mandrill that stood over him, staring into his eyes. "I _said, it depends on what you mean by INSANE!"_

Kiota shook off his surprise quickly, and stood up, knocking the mandrill off of him. "Thanks for your input," he replied sarcastically, "but I don't really need anyone's counsel right now."

"HA!" he exclaimed loudly. "That's not what it sounded like a minute ago!"

"Just because I was _screaming_ at myself, doesn't mean that I need your help." He said solidly before turning away.

The mandrill stood in his way with a large stick."It does, however, mean dat you are very, very confused."

Kiota blinked. _How had he moved so fast?_ "Just… just leave me alone!" he said with annoyance; his usual forcefulness was gone due to the mandrill's confusing antics."

"Aaaahhhh…. NOPE!" he said with a wide grin.

He growled dangerously. "I _think…_ that you're a little crazy…"

"WRONG!" came an unexpected yell. "I'm not the one that's crazy, _you_ were de one dat was just yelling at _yourself!"_

"That doesn't mean that _you_ aren't insane _too_."

The mandrill blinked. "Eh, fair enough… but then again… It all depends on what you mean by _insane!_"

"What does that even _mean?"_ Kiota exploded. "WHO _ARE_ YOU?"

The mandrill was quiet for a moment; a noticeable change from his previous wildness. "My name is Rafiki… and it means more dan you know."

"What then?"

Rafiki sighed. "Insanity is when we do tings dat don't make sense. Tings dat are not logical, but cannot be helped."

"Like have _pointless_ nightmares." He growled frustrated.

Rafiki shrugged. "Who knows, maybe da dreams are da most sane ting _about_ you."

"How so?"

"Dreams are da window into de subconscious… maybe it's just your mind telling you what it wants. Maybe what you _want_ is de insane part."

Kiota turned his back on the mandrill. "You clearly haven't seen _my_ dream." He remarked as he headed away.

To his surprise, Rafiki walked in front of him and kept going. "_Follow me_." He almost whispered as he pushed aside a thick wall of vines.

The rogue contemplated obeying this crazy monkey's request, but there wasn't much decision to be made. Weirdness aside, this guy clearly knew more than he was letting on and Kiota wasn't going to just ignore his offer to share that information.

They pushed through the thick foliage of the black jungle for many minutes. Vines caught around his neck and thorns pulled on his mane. He kept Rafiki straight ahead of him, but it soon became difficult. The monkey was just so much smaller and agile than him, even if he _was_ old.

"Would you _slow_ down?" he asked.

"No…" Rafiki said softly. "_We are here_."

Kiota was about to make a sarcastic remark, but lost his breath when he caught up to the mandrill. In front of them the wall of trees parted and a small path could be seen extending towards a moonlit pool of water. Reeds surrounded the mirror-like body of water and their reflections shown perfectly in the liquid. Light mist hovered over the surface of the water and grew thicker as it extended away from the pool, obscuring the nearby ground.

Kiota suppressed a gasp. _It was almost identical to the pool of water from his dreams_. "What _is_ this place?" He demanded from Rafiki as strongly as he could. "Why have you broughtme here?"  
As try as he might however, he could not hide the fear in his voice.

Rafiki didn't look at him; he only stared straight ahead at the water. "Dis is a _special_ place… I have brought only a _few_ others here before."

Kiota glared at him with all of his effort, but it was like trying to stay angry at a tree. Rafiki was just too… _inanimate _at the moment to be a good target for his frustration. "What do you want me to _do?_"

"What do you _think_ you should do?"

It wasn't what Kiota wanted to hear; he knew what he _should _do, but he desperately wanted to avoid it at _all_ costs.

"You will never _understand_ it if you do not _confront_ it." Rafiki said, catching Kiota off guard.

_From the way he was talking, it was almost as if he KNEW what was going on…_ He shook his head and forced it out of his mind for the moment. First things first; he needed to face the pool of his dreams.

The first step was made towards the bank. Another placed him closer and another even more so. Each step was painfully suspenseful as he neared the edge of the water. Within a few more paces, he would be able to look directly into the water, just like in his dreams. He wanted to stop and slow down, but he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to start back up if he did. Instead, Kiota pushed ahead towards the mist-covered surface of the pool, not knowing what the water would hold.

He was there. The water shone with the brilliance of the infinite stars in the sky above, as well as with the silver luminosity of the risen moon. In the feared waters shone only his reflection, as normal as it ever had been before.

Suddenly Kiota felt ridiculously foolish. _What was he expecting? To see the faces of those he had killed? To see Kya crying?_ It was ridiculous and he knew it… _it was just a normal pool_.

"Why are you showing me this?" He asked Rafiki. "There's nothing _special_ about this water."

Rafiki appeared over the rogues shoulder and spoke in a near whisper. "It isn't the _water_ dat is special… it is _you_."

"Wha-" he was cut off by a slight rippling in the water. Kiota's eyes locked with the pool in horror. _It was changing!_ When the blurred image refocused, the face of Ojiro was clear. He stared into Kiota's eyes with harsh silence. Toyo's words seemed to float on the air.

"_He's a lot like you, actually…"_

Despite being shocked beyond belief, Kiota managed to blink. The image changed in a split second to the reflection of King Nario. In the distance he could hear the sounds of mourning subjects, then of dying fighters. He could hear Kya's voice:

"_They died because you killed him…"_

The unnamed lion of the waterhole was next. His desperation for food and water brought Kiota back to his early days of rogue life that had been filled with starvation and struggles.

_"You killed him…"_

Suddenly the dead lion vanished and was replaced with a far more familiar face. _Kya._ She looked sad, and Kiota instantly felt horrible. It was a mix of fear, unease, nervousness, guilt, embarrassment, and countless other undesirable emotions. A silent tear slid down her face and hung a moment before it fell to the surface of the water that separated the two worlds. Before the tear stuck, however, a smile spread across her face as if she had just heard something wonderful. It was one of the nicest things Kiota had ever seen. Then the image blurred with the ripples caused by the tear. When they stopped, only Kiota's own reflection remained.

He suddenly realized that he was breathing hard from the event and looked up sharply to see Rafiki standing a short distance away.

"WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?" He screamed.

"What do you _think_ it means?" The mandrill countered.

Kiota was in _no _mood for mind games, but he couldn't bring himself to strike the old monkey. "I DON'T KNOW _WHAT _IT MEANS!" He shouted as he began pacing back and forth. "It doesn't make any SENSE!"

"Only because you don't _want_ it to make sense."

"What?"

Rafiki sighed. "When de heart changes, de mind is usually de _last_ ting to fall into step with de change."

Kiota stared for a moment. "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"I tink dat dere is a different question dat you should be asking."

"FINE!" he shouted. "WHAT'S THE QUESTION?"

"Why do you fight?" the mandrill asked simply.

Kiota blinked at the unexpected subject. "Uh… I fight for the thrill… for the challenge."

"Mmmhmm… Rafiki nodded. "And when exactly _was_ your last fight for dose tings, hmmm?"

"It's been a while…"

"Why?"

Suddenly Kiota felt himself overcome by rage. "WHAT IS THIS, A FREAKING _THERAPY _SESSION?"

"No… we're just talking."

The answer soothed him somehow, but the distraught rogue continued to pace back and forth with tension. Despite his better judgment, Kiota decided to answer the earlier question. "I-I don't know why I haven't been fighting… it just hasn't been feeling right."

"Maybe your heart is trying to tell your mind something."

_What a ridiculous idea… as if his heart and mind were two different people. _"Like what?"

"Maybe it's trying to tell you to _stop_ thinking."

"_Stop_ thinking?" _It didn't seem like a great idea_. "Why?"

Rafiki looked up at the stars. "Ahhh… another question from your _mind_. Stop thinking and exploring your _mind,_ and start to feel and explore your _emotions!"_

"Explore my emotions?" Kiota echoed faintly. "Ho-"

"Don't ask _how," _Rafiki exclaimed. "Just _do _it!"

Kiota blinked in confusion, but did not argue. Instead, he stared up at the stars that seemed to perplex the mandrill. He took a deep breath, and allowed his mind to open to _everything_.

He thought about Ojiro, and about Kya, and about, and about the unnamed lion. Somehow, according to the pool, they all had something in common but Kiota just didn't know _what_. They each reminded him somehow of himself, whether it was a similar feature or a state of mind. It was his connection to them that produced the unease that he felt. _Maybe that's what his dreams were trying to tell him_… _Did he feel guilty and remorseful for what he had done to them? _It seemed strange to think of the unease as guilt, but then again, he had clouded his emotion so heavily in the past few months that it was no wonder that he had been a bit _off_ in his analysis.

"_That's called empathy…"_ came the memory of Kya's soft voice.

_Was that it? Did he feel bad for what he had done?_ There was little reason to; he had given each of them a fair fight, sometimes even more than that. What was there to be sorry for? _Pain._ He thought back to it… all the time he had felt it. He had seen it on the faces of those he had killed, but even more so on the faces of those who had _watched_ him do it. The subjects, mates, children, parents of the fighters who he had cut down. _They had suffered because of what he had done._ It was a troubling idea, one that caught Kiota's attention. Just like how he had indirectly killed Kya's family, he had also caused far more damage than he had initially thought. _It was no wonder that he was hated by so many…_

_ Kya _didn't hate him…

He snorted irritably at the thought of her. _She was so annoying_. Then he remembered that night that he had spent with her; how she had listened to the stories of his dreams without judgment or skepticism. Now that he thought about it, she was the first person to really treat him like he was a real person and not some… _god_, for lack of a better word. Toyo, Shinmen, and everyone he had crossed had always looked upon him with either _desire_ or _fear_ of his strength and skill. They didn't see _him_ for who he really _was._ But then again, who _was_ he?

Kiota blinked. His earlier reasons for fighting didn't seem to make sense, and that was a big problem. He had always defined himself by _why he fought_, and now it was just… gone. The thrill didn't matter and neither did the challenge of it all. The mere thought of returning to his former lifestyle was unappealing; with the full understanding of the damage he was causing, he doubted he could ever gain fulfillment from killing again. He wanted to fight, but he didn't know for _what._ _WHO WAS HE?_

Suddenly he became aware of his identity crisis. His breathing became heavy and cold sweat poured down his neck as the panic set in. Then a single and sudden realization set into his mind. _Kya knew._ She saw the _real_ him, and knew him. She saw _what_ and _who_ he was, which was more that Kiota could say for _himself_.

He wondered about her… _why was it that he hated her?_ _What was there to hate?_ She was incredibly nice, even to him after all he had done to her, and yet she was strong despite all she had been through._ What was there to hate?_ Even the little peevs that he had against her weren't really because of her, he realized, it was more of just him _looking _for things to dislike.

All things aside… she was really an amazing lioness… and it stunned Kiota to arrive at this conclusion. It was never _her_ that he hated… it was everything that she revealed about _himself_… she brought out his compassion, his empathy, his supportiveness, everything that he would have preferred to think didn't exist in him… she saw it… _and she knew it too_.

The more he thought about her, the more the reality sunk in… _she was the closest thing to a friend that he had ever had… and he cared about her…_ _He actually CARED about Kya!_

The revelation was stunning to say the least… his hate… his annoyance… his perceived dislike… it was all just mental _gymnastics_ to hide the truth from _himself_! Tanai's words came back to him:

_"You can't chose who you love…"_

And he _did_ love her… maybe not romantically, but he did love her. In all honesty, he wished that he _didn't_, but like Tanai had implied, _he couldn't help it_.

A wave of emotion swept over him with this epiphany. All of his dull, vague, and nameless feelings from before were suddenly sharpened with the intensity of a knife-point. He felt _guilty _for the damage he had done to her and everyone else, he was _happy_ to finally have clarity, and he was _angry_ at himself for not understanding sooner.

Still… there was _nothing_ logical about _any _of this. It wasn't helpful for him to care about Kya, nor was it _practical_ to act on his feelings… He had seen countless times before how others had gotten themselves killed for little reason. Like Kya's family; if they had just handed their children over to Toyo, he would have left them alone and they would have lived. Though, he could understand now how difficult it must have been to even _consider_ doing that. It wasn't his choice to care for her, but it was what it was.

His epiphany must have been visible on his face, because Rafiki seemed to know. "You look like you might be going _insane_…" he remarked.

Kiota was silent for a moment as he looked at the mandrills aged features. Then a wide grin spread across his face; "Depends what you mean by _insane_."

Rafiki smiled as well. "_There is no place for logic in love."_

"No… there isn't." he said in a dazed tone.

"So what exactly are you going to do now, Kiota?" Rafiki asked him.

He blinked. "How do you know my _name_?"

Rafiki shrugged. "Dere are _many_ who want to see _great_ things from you."

"Who?"

The monkey stared up at the star-lit sky, and Kiota did the same. "We aren't as alone as you might think… De great kings are vedy interested in you."

He was about to snort in disbelief, but then he remembered the pool… _Maybe there was more to this world than he originally thought._ "I would think that they would pretty much hate me by now."

"Do not underestimate dem, dey understand far more dan _we_ do…"

Kiota supposed he was right, but still. He had done _so_ much to deserve their hatred; it seemed remarkable that they somehow _withheld_ their wrath.

"So…" Rafiki repeated. "What are you going to do _now,_ Kiota?"

In truth, he didn't really know _what_ to do. He supposed that he should probably go back and talk to Kya, though she was still mad about…

A deep and violent roar resounded through the jungle from far away, _the direction from which he had come._

_KYA!_ Kiota swore loudly, making Rafiki jump in surprise. "I have to go!" he said urgently.

The mandrill nodded understandingly. "You have a _responsibility_ to attend to."

He nodded. "Yea… something like that." With that, he ran off, cursing himself as he went. Leaves and branches raked across his face as he ran through the jungle. _He had completely forgotten about the hunters!_ The tall grass of the savannah slid across his torso like water, wetting his fur with the newly deposited dew. _He prayed to the kings that he wouldn't be too late!_ Everything was clear to him now; he knew what was needed of him, and he intended to save them. It didn't matter what his chances of survival against the hunters was, it didn't matter. All that mattered was protecting the ones that he cared for. If they were already gone, he didn't know what he would do… _They were all he had_.

*****Author's Note*****

**I know that this was almost expected, but I'm sure that you will appreciate it nonetheless. Keep reviewing!**

**-Ben**


	16. Part 2: Chapter 8

*****Chapter 8*****

"_**Get beyond love and grief, and exist for the good of man."**_

_**-Miyamoto Musashi**_

**(((0)))**

It was over. There was nothing more that they could do. It didn't even make sense to try and run; all exits in all directions had been sealed off. The black lions watched them from afar, seeming to take pleasure in the discomfort of the poor refugees.

Kya looked over the somber crowd with deep pity and sorrow. The young cubs cried openly with the adults, all knowing well what their fate would soon be. They knew why the hunters were there, and they had no doubt of their intentions. Though she considered herself quite emotionally tough due to her past experiences and losses, Kya found herself being deeply distraught by how it all was going to end. Bitter tears fell slowly and silently from her face, though neither sobs nor deep sighs could be heard from her body. Other than the tears, she was as stoic as a stone.

Lela walked over to her, accompanied by several young cubs. "Thank you…" she said in a near whisper.

Kya just shook her head in despair. "You have _nothing_ to thank me for."

"You _tried_…"

"Well _trying_ doesn't cut it. I _failed_."

"And yet, you're still here. That's more than can be said for _others_."

"I still can't believe that he _left_…" she replied bitterly. "I thought he had changed…"

"Some people just _don't_ change, Kya." The former queen answered. "But it really doesn't matter now anyways." They were silent for a few moments, both taking some vague comfort in the other's equal amount of distress, "It just seems so… _unfair_." Kya continued eventually. "Tanai will be coming for us in a few days… we will have missed him by so _little!_"

Lela nodded. "It wasn't meant to be."

"Don't say that, the kings didn't have _any_ part in this!"

The former queen sighed deeply. "Maybe that was the problem."

Her words made a decent amount of sense to Kya, and tshe actually considered them. _Maybe her father wasn't watching over her like she thought he was. _ She didn't cry, but the sadness was clear in her eyes as she gazed out at the observing hunters.

Kya growled subconsciously at the sight of them. "What are they even _doing?_ They have us trapped, why don't they just _do_ it?"

Lela shook her head in confusion and sighed as she pulled the fearful cubs closer to her in a vain attempt to comfort them. "Toyo's hunters are a very… _calculating_ lot. They usually win by superior tactics and plans. Even with us, they won't take any risks. _All_ variables will be accounted for."

Kya frowned. "So we won't stand a chance."

"We never _did_."

The two lionesses were silent for several moments while the hunters discussed something amongst themselves from afar. Every so often, they glanced up at their trapped prey with expressions of vague amusement. Clearly they had done this before; they knew that the outcome would be the same as it always was.

Their discussion ended in due time, and three of the apparently in-charge hunters walked towards the refugees. Lela quickly gave her nearby cubs to another lioness and stood at the front of the group with Kya.

"Hello again, Queen Lela." One of the dark lions said with excess politeness.

Lela just glared at him with hate.

"You know why we are here," said another hunter. "You and your pride have refused to comply with King Toyo's offer. The punishment is death for you, and the placement of your younger members in the ranks of King Toyo's army."

Kya growled. "That's horrible… You're all _monsters_!"

The hunter shrugged nonchalantly as if he had heard this insult many times before. "It's our job, miss. _Sorry_ that you don't like it."

Lela continued to glare. "Why are you telling us this? Why don't you just _do_ it?"

"It is standard procedure. Now that you have been informed of your sentence, we can proceed to the next portion of our involvement with your pride."

Kya gaped in horror and disbelief at the sheer clockwork of the hunters. Everything that they did was so mechanical_, so_ _cold and heartless_. As Lela had said before, they were very calculating. She searched her mind for something to use, something to barter with perhaps, something that could somehow convince the hunters to leave them with their lives. _Food?_ _A bribe?_ Something told her that it wouldn't work against these soldiers. They were just too _procedure_-oriented.

"Sir!" a shout came from a row of trees not too far away.

The entire group of hunters, as well as the refugees, looked over immediately to see one of the hunters that had been watching the perimeter struggling against another lion… and losing. The blackened lion gave a deep grunt as the outsider pushed him away and to the ground with a dull thud. He wasn't really hurt, but the hunter lay where he fell and allowed the intruder to pass by without any further violence. Maybe he was just acknowledging his superior skills, but it seemed more likely that he was simply afraid of getting hurt.

Kya watched in shock as the lion approached them and the hunters at a neutral pace. _"Kiota?"_ she gasped with a mix of surprise and anger.

The rogue simply nodded in her direction to acknowledge her. Other than that, however, he appeared to be completely neutral and unexcited. In fact, he appeared almost _irritated_, though that was a pretty standard thing for him.

"Who are you, _rogue_?" asked the hunter. "Why are you here?"

Kiota looked at them for a moment, then to Kya, then to the rest of the refugees with an expression of vague interest, but not much.

"I asked you why you are _here!_" the hunter repeated, showing some of his teeth in a fairly obvious threat."

Kiota looked to him. "I have a few questions for you."

The leader looked taken aback. "You have _questions_ for me?"

He nodded. "What would it take to _join_ your team?"

The dark lions grinned slightly. "Ahhh… so you want to _join_ us."

Kya just stared in hate at her former companion. True, he had shocked her with his rather abrupt departure from those he had promised to protect, but this was _unbelievable_. He was actually going out of his way to _kill_ the same group that he had just left. The group that had trusted him, the group that had needed him. He was doing more than just turning a cold shoulder, he was going to help _murder _them!

Kiota nodded. "I'm sick of being a lone fighter."

The dark lion nodded. "Well then… first you can try to prove yourself to _me_; you will have to be a special type of lion to join us. Then, if we think that you are alright for the job, you will be presented to King Toyo for his final decision."

The rogue appeared somewhat pleased, an extremely unsettling sight for Kya.

"And what would I have to do in order to _prove_ myself?"

"YOU EVIL PIECE OF SCUM!" Kya shouted, unable to restrain herself any longer. "HOW CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF?"

Kiota just stared at her with a strange look on his face. _Something was different_, she realized with a start.

The hunter chuckled softly to himself. "Well, rogue… _she_ is kind of bothering me. Kill _her_, and we can start the process."

Kiota nodded, expressionlessly staring at Kya.

"No…" she said softly, not believing her ears. "You can't, Kiota…"

"I _can_, Kya." He said evilly as he advanced forward towards her.

She took a step back, but quickly decided not to take another. If she was to die at his hand, then so be it. There was no way that she was going to _run_ or try to escape. She would be _strong_.

"Why are you doing this?" she said sadly, an involuntary tear falling silently down her face.

Kiota hesitated and glanced back at the hunter. When he returned his focus to the lioness, she saw a new expression, one that she couldn't identify immediately.

_"I had to see you again…_" he whispered so that only she could hear him.

"Why? Just to make sure that we all _died_?" she spat bitterly, feeling her familiar hate work back into her heart.

"No… because _I'm _the one that's probably going to die. _I had to see you one last time_."

She gaped at him for a moment, shocked by his quiet statement. It was then that she realized the expression that he wore; it was pure _empathy!_ "What are you saying, Kiota?" she whispered slowly, not wanting to get ahead of herself.

"What's taking you so long, Rogue?" came a voice behind him. "_Kill her!"_

"Patience!" Kiota replied with a sneer. "I'm just tying up some _loose ends_."

He turned back to Kya. "I'm saying that I _get_ it now… and that I'm sorry. For everything."

Kya didn't know what to say. A second ago he had been ready to _kill_ her, and now he was _apologizing?_ Either he was having some sever behavioral problems, or he was putting on a big charade.

"So you _aren't _going to join them?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "No… I figured out what was _really_ important to me."

"_Us?_"

He shrugged. "Yes, but mostly _you_."

Kya blinked in surprise. _Her?_ It sounded strange coming from him, but to be fair she _had_ been on rather friendly terms with him before he had left. "So… what are you-"

"I need you to organize the refugees." He whispered even _more_ quietly than he had before. He did _not_ want the hunters to hear him. "I can take _most_ of them, but I won't be able to get them _all_. If you can gang up on the remaining hunters, you should be able to win."

"What about you?" she asked slowly, not really sure if she was going to like the answer.

He smiled, _a strange sight_. "Just make sure that you get all the leftovers."

With that, he turned away from the stunned lioness. Unsurprisingly, he found it rather difficult. That would likely be one of the last times he would ever see her, and it bothered him deeply. As soon as he discovered his true feelings and values, he had to say goodbye to it all. It was depressing to say the least, but yet extremely fulfilling; even after his duels he had never before felt this strong. All doubt, concern, and discouragement had been cast aside, and he felt himself take on the aura of serene focus. He would fight, he would kill, and he would die against the many hunters. But in the end, Kya and the other refugees would be safe. He would have succeeded and made his life somewhat meaningful. Perhaps his final actions would even make up for some of the crimes of morality that he had committed earlier in his life. But maybe not.

"What are you doing, rogue?" the hunter asked confusedly as Kiota approached him. There was an unsettling look in the lion's eyes that had been absent several minutes ago; Kiota was determined, focused, but most of all sincere and confident. He knew exactly how, why, and what he was going to do. No one could stop him.

His intentions became clear when his lethal claws sliced through the nearest hunter who collapsed to the ground, his throat making a nauseating gurgling sound.

"RALLY TO ME! RA- ACHHH-!" shouted another to the rest of the unit before Kiota made his way over to him. When the rest of the hunters became aware of Kiota's sudden violence, they all ran to engage him. They left their posts on the perimeter and rushed at him to defend their fellow murderers.

Kiota just turned to the first one with his face emotionless and his eyes filled with fire. He ducked under a swipe and quickly ripped across his side as he made his way to the next. He blocked a blow, leaned away from a bite, and countered another strike with his own. The hunter's blackened hide released a significant cloud of dark ash dust as Kiota's paws with its unsheathed talons collided with extreme speed and force, knocking the wind out of his lungs. Before he could recover, a sharp claw dug into his chest and found a way though the ribs and to his lung. The killer gasped as he felt his lung collapse, staring into Kiota's resolute eyes as he died.

Though he would have liked a quick break, Kiota quickly moved onto his next opponent. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw as an unsuspecting hunter was brought down by a small team of old and young lionesses, led by Kya. He tried to fight back, but they were simply too numerous against him. Thankfully, the rest of the murderers were too preoccupied with Kiota to help their losing comrade.

That left almost ten for Kiota to focus on. Even when he had faced Shinmen he hadn't had to go against that many, _and _these hunters were far better trained than the Vita mercenaries. He knew his survival was almost impossible, but he fought ahead nonetheless.

The hunters gathered around him, each desiring a piece of his flesh to be their own. He roared, he ripped, ducked and dodged, struck and was struck. He moved faster than he ever had before; his claws moved in perfect unison, as if they were each independent of the other. Though his skill was impressive and superior to his opponents, the strikes did eventually find their way to his body. Blood flowed from his shoulder, mixing with the blood on his claws and arms. Every so often, he had to blink away the mixture of blood and sweat that dripped into his eyes. He didn't feel pain or flinch from the many blows. Instead, he only pushed ahead with his claws of death leading the way.

The refugees did their part willingly, if not terribly effectively. He was able to see them move from one of Toyo's soldiers to the next, overpowering them with their larger numbers and greater teamwork skills. Kya was wounded, and it bothered him. But that was nothing he could help now; there were still many more fighters to deal with.

There were still no illusions of a miraculous victory; he was too wounded to be very effective for long, and it would only get worse. Despite it all though, he continued against the fatigue and fought his exhaustion. A paw swung out at his face, only to be caught and shredded by his own paw. He pivoted his feet sharply while still clinging to the enemy's arm, causing a sickening 'crack' to resound from the dark lion's shoulder. Before he could even cry out in pain, his arm was sliced near the armpit and a generous amount of blood began to pour from the severed artery. He was dead in a matter of moments, but Kiota didn't see it. He was already on the next fighter with a new fury of ruthless attacks.

The pain began to make its way through his tough hide and finally affect him. Kiota winced and growled when he took the strikes and gashes to the side, but he didn't slip or fall. He gritted his face and pushed ahead. This time though, it was slower. He was falling in slow motion towards the ground, unable to stop himself. The ground rushed upwards at him with surprising speed, but it seemed to take forever to hit it. The end was near and he knew it; if he fell, he would not be able to defend against the next barrage of attacks. He would die at the hands of the hunters.

_No._

The single word spoke with more meaning than any word ever had before. _No_, he wouldn't die, not yet. He had too much to live for. _No_, he _couldn't _die, Kya and the refugees needed more help; there were still too many soldiers. _He refused to leave his job half-done_. There would be plenty of time to rest after he was dead.

The ground rushed up at him, but Kiota tucked his head into his chest into a fluid roll. He leapt up, several yards away from the group of hunters and roared challengingly. They roared back and rushed towards him. Kiota only grinned and lunged back at them. He fought with a new vigor; he simply didn't care about his exhaustion or injuries. He was ready and willing to give his body to his friends.

He blocked a strike with his shoulder; head butted the attacker, and rolled across his falling body towards the next fighter, ripping across his ribs as he went. The next hunter was frozen with fear as the violent rogue leapt at him with his claws extended. He let out a quiet gasp before Kiota made contact with him and tackled him to the ground with a sharp twisting motion. A dull 'snap' could be heard from the victim's neck and his body went limp instantly. Kiota jumped away to meet the next blow, but it never came.

He realized in an instant that the next hunter must have been _behind_ him, so he turned sharply to meet him. There was no one there. Kiota looked around frantically for the next opponent to fight, but the blood-stained savannah was vacant except for the many corpses that lay about the ground, torn and bloody from the brutal combat.

He stood there for a moment in sheer and complete confusion at the sight before him. _Where were the rest of the hunters?_ He looked at the bodies for several moments as he slowly figured it out. _They were all here_. All of the hunters, every single one of them, now lay at his feet, killed by his own hand. _He had won_.

He blinked in surprise at the sudden revelation._ How did THAT happen?_ The fight was so lopsided and excessively against him; yet he had survived… _No, _he had emerged _victorious!_ The accomplishment was amazing to say the least; he had single handedly defeated an _entire_ military unit!

The rogue looked down at himself to examine his injuries. What he saw surprised him greatly; deep gashes of all sizes and shapes lay across his body like some violent checkerboard. Blood flowed easily and fluidly down his side and to the ground below. It was truly a wonder that he was still standing!

A sound from behind him made him look away from himself. Not too far away, the refugees were congratulating each other happily. The cubs were all still quite shaken up, but they at least understood that they were safe. The older lionesses cried openly, this time with tears of joy. Only one did not. Lela stood not too far away from her pridemates, staring at the ground solemnly.

Kiota did not see Kya anywhere around the area, _Lela probably knows where she went_, he thought to himself. He started over to her, taking his time on his injured limbs. Just because he had survived the fight didn't mean that he couldn't die _now_ from all the wounds he had received.

"Kiota…" Lela said softly as she realized he was approaching.

He nodded in acknowledgement to the former queen. "Glad to see that you are alright. Where did Kya go?"

She shook her head sadly. "Kiota… _it's bad…_"

He was momentarily confused until Lela stepped aside. Behind her lay a young lioness, a deep slash marring her otherwise perfect fur.

_"KYA!"_ He shouted in alarm at the sight of her wounded body. He rushed to her side with lightening speed, instantly forgetting about his own wounds.

Lela was right, _it wasn't good_. The gash was very deep and it revealed the ivory white bone of her ribs. She coughed weakly as he stared in shock at her broken body.

"Kya…" he whispered, lowering himself to her level.

She focused her eyes on him with significant difficulty. "Kiota…" she whispered back. "Did we… _win_?"

He nodded numbly. "Yea… the hunters are all gone. Everyone is safe."

She smiled. "_Good._"

He didn't know what to say. "A-are you alright?"

She looked at him with plain eyes for several moments before responding. "No, Kiota… I don't think so. _I'm cold._"

Her words almost broke his newly found heart. "No, Kya… You can't… That was _my_ job, not yours!"

"It's _all_ of our jobs; no one can escape it…"

"Not _now _though!" he protested with significant distress. "You _can't_ die, I _need_ you!"

She tried to smile, but it was too difficult. "You never needed me _before_, Kiota. You _will_ find a way to live without me again. Thank you, though…"

He shook his head. "No… you have _nothing_ to thank me for. _I _should be the one dying now, not _you!_"

She stared past him with her vision blurred by silent tears. She smiled suddenly, as if she had heard something wonderful. "I'm going to miss you, Kiota… I wish you would have changed sooner."

Her words only made him feel more terrible. "Me too… I'm sorry… for _everything_."

"…It doesn't matter anymore." Her serene eyes glazed over, but the smile remained. "I'm _home_…"

Kiota watched as the light left her eyes. "No… no… NO, KYA!" He screamed in despair. He tried to shake her back to consciousness, but she was already gone. He didn't know what to do… _He was alone_. The grieving rogue buried his face in her limp shoulder and allowed his bitter tears to soak into her fur. He sobbed heavily, his breathing becoming ragged. He prayed to the gods and begged to switch places with her, to allow her to live. But she was already gone.

Lela and her fellow refugees gathered around the fallen lioness and her mourning friend. They bowed their heads in respect and sorrow for the one that had made the ultimate sacrifice in their stead.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

They stayed at the site of the battle for several days afterwards; they removed the corpses of the hunters and disposed of them appropriately. Kya's body was left in the clearing; no one had the nerve to move it without Kiota's consent, and he would not give it. He did not help with the cleanup; he only stared at Kya for the entire day and then some. He left the next morning without a word, the deceased lioness on his back. Lela and the others did not even try to talk him out of it; they knew that he was doing what he needed to do. The rogue carried her body for many miles until he reached the desired location: a hilltop, overlooking a vast expanse of savannah and jungle. In the distance, a winding river wove its way from the base of a mountain range and supported a small waterhole with all the life around it. He smiled at the sight. _She would have liked it_.

He could not stand the thought of scavengers picking at her body, so Kiota began to dig. After many minutes of arduous labor, he gently placed her body in the shallow grave. He waited a moment before covering her face with dirt. _Her beautiful, peaceful, and innocent face._

_ "I'm sorry…" _he whispered one final time. "_I'll see you soon."_

With that final gesture, he pushed the dirt over her. He bowed his head and closed his eyes; a final tear fell from his already soaked cheek, staining the disturbed soil with its grief. He took a final look at the view he left her with before turning away. Tanai would be arriving soon.

Kiota returned to the refugees without a problem, and quickly isolated himself off to the side. He harbored no ill feelings towards the refugees at all for the trouble they had caused him and Kya; on the contrary, he saw them as the _purpose_ of her life. Had it not been for her, he would not have helped them, and they would surely have been murdered at the hands of Toyo's hunters.

"Kiota?" a familiar voice came from not too far away.

He turned slowly to see a sandy colored lion approaching, backed by a small entourage of fighters. "Hello, Tanai." He replied neutrally.

Within moments, the refugees took notice of the new arrivals and swarmed over them with joy. Tanai greeted some of them respectfully, but quickly noticed Kiota's quick withdrawal from the reunion.

"Are you alright, Kiota?" he asked the rogue slowly as he walked up beside him.

Kiota only sighed and stared up at the sky. "I don't know."

"What happened? I heard there was a fight?"

He nodded, but remained silent.

Tanai waited patiently for him to explain, but Kiota was silent. "Well?"

"Toyo's hunters showed up for the refugees…"

Tanai blinked in surprise. "How did you escape?"

"I fought them."

"_All_ of them?"

"They're all dead."

Tanai was silent for a moment, clearly surprised by the Kiota's apparent skill. Still, the deep and relatively fresh injuries on his body were evidence enough of a recent fight. "Well… good job, then. These people are in your debt…"

Kiota just continued to stare at the sky.

"Is Kya around? There was something that I wanted to talk to her about."

"She's dead." His voice cracked as he said the painful words.

Tanai blinked in shock. "_What? How?"_

"The fight… she just… died."

Tanai appeared to be dumbstruck; he was silent for several moments while the news settled in. He hadn't really known the lioness that well, but death was one thing that always hit him rather hard.

"I'm sorry, Kiota... I know you were good friends."

"She was my _only_ friend. Without her… I'm _alone_."

Tanai stepped up beside him. "It may not mean much, but _I_ consider you to be my friend. You aren't as alone as you might think."

Tanai's comment made the grieving rogue lighten slightly, but it didn't take away the pain of his loss. "Thank you, Tanai." He whispered.

"If you don't know where to go…" the Pridelander offered, "…you could certainly come with us. We could always use a good lion like you back home."

It was a tempting offer. "No thank you. There are some things that I need to do on this side of the world _first_."

Tanai nodded, fully understanding the need to finish a loved one's life in their stead. "Alright… but promise me one thing, Kiota."

"What's that?"

"Take care of yourself."

He nodded. "I will."

After a brief farewell to Kiota, the Pridelanders left in the morning with the refugees close behind. Kiota watched them leave across the desert towards their African Paradise on the other side with a small amount of pride. _It was because of himself and Kya that they were alive._ Together, they had rescued the doomed pride from the hands of Toyo. It made him wonder: _How many others were suffering under the King's reign? How many others were having their families ripped apart for the sake of his conquests?_ Kya had been one of his earlier victims; how many others could there possibly be? How many good people like Kya had been killed or worse by the ruthless practices of this evil lord?

They were surely too numerous to count. He knew what he needed to do; as he had told Tanai, _He had some things to finish here._ Toyo had made a mistake; he had awakened a sleeping warrior. Faced with this realized injustice, Kiota knew what he had to do.

*****End of Part 2*****

*****Author's Note*****

**Well, this was an **_**extremely**_** fun chapter to write, and I hope you all enjoyed it despite the rather depressing event. As you may have noticed, I changed my avatar to an actual picture of me, (I'm not terribly afraid of internet stalkers.) Also, this will be the last chapter with a quote in the beginning, there simply aren't enough by Musashi to continue with them. Thanks for finishing Part 2, and I hope that you will continue into part 3. All reviews, even on old chapters or this part in general would be greatly appreciated!**

**-Ben**


	17. Part 3: RETURN OF KIOTA Chapter 1

*****Part 3*****

*****The Return of Kiota*****

*****Chapter 1*****

The familiar fields blanketed the dirt with their verdant and healthy tones. After traveling so much, the African landscape had all started to look the same; each pride chose their home for similar reasons regarding food and security. To any casual observer, they were all the same. Kiota, however, was _not_ a casual observer. He knew the surrounding prides better perhaps than they did themselves. He had seen them at their best, then a few moments later at their worst after the death of a loved one. He knew how these lions reacted to both peace and conflict alike, which was more than most could say.

This pride was one that he remembered well; even the redundant African landscape was strikingly memorable. Due to some unknown natural phenomena, the dirt was a deep red tone that spread into everything and anything around it. The minerals darkened the water with the unique color, which in turn colored the nearby plants and flowers. Even the animals of the land held a noticeable crimson powdering in their fur from the earth's loose dirt and dust. To some it seemed unnatural and almost foreboding, but the occupying pride took the savannah's defining feature as a sign of strength and divine care.

Kiota pushed passed a bush of scarlet flowers towards the hilltop in which he knew the pride of King Tijan to live; or at least, that was how he had known them _before_. His paws pressed into the colored dirt, leaving a soft imprint, and Kiota thought back to his previous journey to this pride. He remembered leaving an identical footprint in the same colored dirt, and traveling in the same direction. _It was interesting_, he thought. He was approaching this family in the same way that he had the time before, but this time _everything_ was different, even if it didn't look like it.

He remembered the pride well due to their noticeably red-toned fur. King Tijan had been like many other kings; he was strong willed, passionate, and friendly enough. He had also died like many others had; in shock, confusion, and complete suddenness. The young cub that he had left behind had cried openly with his mother and the other pride members. He had been a well loved ruler to say the least, and that fact made Kiota more nervous than any looming duel ever had. _How would they receive him?_ Surely with hate, anger, and maybe even violence. The son… _Ralif? Refin?_ His name escaped the rogue, but the now grown cub would surely want revenge of sorts for his father's death.

The potential for conflict made Kiota question his decision for what seemed like the thousandth time, but he pushed ahead through red-leaved bus, scaring up some small birds. There were no other prides nearby, and he had to start somewhere. _Still_, _it might not end well_.

A deep growl snapped Kiota from his thoughts, and he instinctively sunk into a combat stance.

"_Who_ are you and _what_ are you doing here?" a young, yet still grown lion said dangerously as he approached the rogue. The distinctively reddish hue emanating from his coat was a sure sign of his connection to Tijan's pride.

"I came here to see the king." Kiota replied calmly, forcing himself out of his fighting stance despite the lion's significantly threatening posture.

"_Why_?" he asked with seemingly excessive anger.

"I have an offer to make him… to make _all_ of you."

The lion frowned, clearly irritated by the trespasser's explanation. "Our king isn't tremendously _receptive _of offers. You're wasting your time." He turned to walk away, but Kiota cut him off.

"If you don't mind, _I'll_ be the judge of _that_."

The red-toned lion snarled aggressively. "Back off _rogue_! We have our _own_ problems to deal with. We don't need you bringing in new _complications_!"

Kiota sighed and took a step back. It was clear that he wasn't going to be able to get his way through sheer forcefulness. "Alright, alright… I wasn't trying to mess with you, I just need to see your king."

The lion looked away for a moment with frustration and was silent.

"What's your name?" Kiota asked unsurely in an attempt to be friendly, a foreign gesture for him.

"Ralon." He said quietly, almost as a side thought.

Kiota blinked in surprise. _Ralon!_ _That was the cub's name_! He stared in veiled surprise for several moments as he evaluated the now familiar lion. The more he looked, the more he was _sure_ that this was Tijan's son.

"You're Tijan's son, aren't you?" he asked after a minute of silence.

Ralon's head snapped up sharply. "_You knew my father?"_

He felt a twang of guilt as he recalled how he had murdered the king. "More or less…"

The young lion nodded slowly. "Well… if you didn't know… he was killed."

Kiota nodded. _He didn't recognize him._ "I heard… I'm sorry."

Ralon nodded numbly, clearly having heard the phrase before. "You said that you wanted to see the king?"

Kiota blinked in confusion. "Wait… aren't _you_ the king? You were his son…"

He nodded shortly before turning away. "There were… complications."

Kiota waited for him to elaborate, but he didn't. He refused the temptation to pry, and instead followed the younger lion through the red-hued savannah. He followed in silence, not really wanting to talk any more with his victim's child. Besides the fact that he was socially exhausted from the interaction, he didn't want to remind Ralon that he had never given his name. Maybe he didn't recognize his father's killer, but surely he would recognize the _name_. Hell, there weren't many prides that _hadn't_ heard of him.

They walked for a while through the brush with seemingly little direction, but Kiota was confident in Ralon's sense of direction. In due time they arrived at his pride's main area, quickly drawing the attention of the nearby lionesses. Though they _did_ acknowledge his presence, Kiota was surprised by the lack of enthusiasm. Some even looked at him with _disgust_.

"He's over there." Ralon said with unexpected bitterness.

The rogue frowned in confusion and looked to where he had gestured. Under a nearby tree was a pale-white lion, his fur significantly out of place among the pride of red-stained fur. For whatever reason, he lacked the distinct coloring of the land.

"You never told me your name." Ralon said suddenly.

_He might as well tell him, he was already here. _"Kiota."

Ralon's head snapped to the rogue and his eyes shown with unprecedented intensity. _"Kiota?"_ he growled lowly.

Kiota nodded neutrally.

"_You're_ the one who _killed_ my father!"

"I did."

Ralon pivoted away and clawed the reddish ground angrily. "WHY ARE YOU HERE?"

The outburst was catching the attention of the nearby pride members and a small circle began to surround them.

"I need to see the king."

"WELL THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE KILLED HIM!"

Ralon tensed his back and legs, clearly anticipating a fight, but just before he could lunge out at the rogue, an older lioness cut him off.

"NO, Ralon!" she said strongly as she stood in between him and Kiota.

"Mom, it's _him!_ He killed Dad!"

She nodded slowly. "I know son… but you can't fight him. He'll kill _you_ too. There are too many in this family that need you right now; I won't let you throw away your life for a shot at revenge."

Ralon growled angrily, but didn't argue with her. He knew she was right.

"What's going on over here?" a new voice emerged from the angry crowd. Kiota watched as the pale and un-reddened lion made his way to the center of the would-be arena. "Who are _you?_" he asked the rogue with significant distaste.

"Kiota." He replied neutrally. "I need to see the king."

He blinked in surprise. "Kiota? _The_ Kiota?"

He nodded.

"Well… I'm the king, king Lero. What do you want?"

"Why isn't Ralon king? He was the prince when I was last here."

Lero smiled slightly. "Things have _changed_ slightly since you were last here."

"Clearly."

"Why don't you come with me, I'll explain."

Kiota nodded apprehensively and followed Lero out of the swarm of angry lionesses and their relentless glares. Once they had separated themselves from the crowd, Lero glanced at Kiota with amusement.

"Most would think twice before returning to the place where they are universally hated, but you… you don't have much to worry about I guess."

"I have something that I need to do."

"And I'm sure that it helps to be the single greatest fighter in the Toyo's kingdoms."

"It has its advantages. Are you going to explain now?"

Lero nodded. "A few months after Tijan died, Toyo came in and established his rule. These lions did what a lot of other prides have done, and surrendered to his demands rather than suffer the consequences."

"What consequences?"

Lero shrugged. "It's quite reasonable actually; in exchange for the protection and support offered by Toyo, the pride must supply the king with their fighters to help protect the kingdoms."

"Who is chosen to go?"

"Everyone of age."

"Which is what?"

"Everyone younger than a full adult."

"Of course…" He frowned, thinking back to the refugees. They had been fortunate enough (if you could call it that) to have had a strong defense against Toyo and manage to escape. This pride though… there was nothing they could do; they had too many younger members and not enough fighters. And it was the younger ones that Toyo wanted.

"I have to admit, Kiota," Lero said suddenly, alerting the rogue from his thoughts. "I was beginning to believe the stories."

"What stories?"

He shrugged. "No one has seen you in months… some were starting to say that you were dead."

"Dead?"

"Toyo didn't want to believe them; of course… he offered a huge reward to anyone who could find you."

Kiota almost smiled at the king's predictability; he had assumed that Toyo would search desperately for him. "Tell me more about this pride."

Lero shrugged. "What more do you want to know?"

"Why are they still here?"

"All the nearby camps are full right now, but there's one that will be graduating their fighters soon. When they leave in a few weeks, we'll send this new batch in to be trained. It's all standard procedure."

Kiota could have gagged at how nonchalantly Lero explained the horror that he was a part of, but he restrained himself. He just simply didn't care about the families and lives that he was destroying. It was all just part of the job for him, and the small smile on his face showed that he somehow _enjoyed_ it.

The two lions walked for several moments more in awkward silence before Lero spoke again. "Why are you here exactly?"

"Uhhh…" he stammered unsurely. He hadn't anticipated having to deal with Toyo's puppet king; it kind of threw his plan into some rough waters. "I needed to speak with Ralon…"

Lero snorted. "Don't waste your time with that little brat… he's nothing but trouble."

"How so?"

"He's always doing more than he should… he is _not_ the king, _I _am!"

"I still need to speak with him."

"Fine, but be quick… there's something that _I_ need to speak with you about."

Kiota nodded, though he had no intention of continuing this conversation. He walked through the pride, scanning the faces as he searched for the would-be king. The angry and disgusted looks that he drew were to be expected, and he didn't blame the lions, but still… it bothered him. Each look was a reminder of what he had done to this pride. A younger lioness, maybe a little younger than he was bore into him furiously with her eyes as if she was trying to burn him away with her glare. Kiota found himself wondering about her; about her personality. Perhaps she was like Kya… or maybe like the refugees. How many other 'Kyas' were here, how many others would suffer and die because of his actions?

A sharp growl sounded from his side, making him turn.

"_You don't belong here."_ Ralon hissed furiously.

"Come with me." Kiota said bluntly, walking past the lion.

Ralon blinked in surprise, but followed after him. "Why are you here? Haven't you done _enough_ to us?"

Kiota stayed quiet until they were reasonably alone and out of earshot from the rest of the pride.

"ANSWER ME YO-"

"Shut up, Ralon." Kiota cut him off. "I'm here to make you an offer."

"Will it be as generous as King Toyo's?" he asked sarcastically.

When Kiota didn't answer immediately, Ralon growled irritably and rolled his eyes. "Listen. I don't want _anything_ to do with you. If I had my way, you would die a painful death at our hands. If you have an offer for us, go see Lero, he's the king."

"Not the rightful one."

He snorted. "Please… as if tradition matters anymore."

"Why are you doing this?"

"What else is there to do?"

"You could resist."

"We could die." He countered. "What are you trying to get me to do, Kiota? Rebel? Fight back against the king that has conquered every kingdom in the land? Do you _want_ to see us die?"

"No… I want to see you live. And _this_ is not _living_."

Ralon blinked in surprise. "What are you saying?"

Kiota took a deep breath; _this was it,_ the moment of truth. "I want to help you… I want to help you fight back."

The lion stared at him incredulously. "What?"

"I'm prepared to fight against Toyo… but I'm only one fighter. I need an army to oppose him."

He laughed, somehow amused at the scenario. "I get it… you want to get rid of Toyo so that _you_ can be the supreme ruler!"

"No… I just want to make things right."

Ralon shook his head. "Even if I believed you, there's nothing that you can do to help us…"

"I can give you the push you need to get started."

"And then what? Go fight Toyo's army?"

"We'll work our way up to that."

"_This is ridiculous…"_ he mumbled to himself. "I _cannot_ risk my family's lives on your endeavor… it's too dangerous."

"Their lives are already at risk, Ralon. If they survive Toyo's training, they will be forced to fight on huge battlefields in faraway lands. They will _never_ see their home or family again."

Ralon looked at the ground reluctantly.

"I met a pride not too long ago… they were running from Toyo's hunters to avoid being killed or sent to a training camp. Their king died to allow them time to escape; _he _seemed to think that their freedom was worth the risk."

"I… I can't." he said quietly.

Kiota nodded, seeing the fear in the young lion's voice. "It isn't about _you,_ it's about _them_."

"What if I _fail_?"

Then they will be spared a fate _worse_ than death."

"Why should I listen to _you?_" he exclaimed with sudden and unexpected anger. "You killed my father!"

Kiota sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. "That was a long time ago, Ralon… I wish I could take it back, but I can't. This is my way of making up for it."

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm your only hope… I can help you throw out Lero."

He was quiet for a few moments as he contemplated the offer. Kiota could almost see the young lion debating with himself.

"Alright…" he said finally. "But this does _not_ mean that I'm okay with _you_. You killed my father, and I _will_ get justice!"

Kiota almost smiled. _That sounded familiar_. "You understand that this will be dangerous?"

"I understand that it's better than the alternative."

He nodded slowly. "Good…"

"But…"

"But what?"

"How are you going to do it? We can't just leave without a fight…"

"We need to proceed carefully…" he said slowly, not wanting to get the younger lion overly excited and do something rash.

Ralon just nodded, but his eyes were not on Kiota. Instead he just stared past him with vague concern.

"What?" Kiot asked curiously.

He gestured to a spectacle developing not too far away. Kiota looked over to see Lero standing over a young lioness. He wasn't sure, but she looked like the same one that had been glaring at him earlier.

"YOU THOUGHT WHAT?" the false king screamed at her as she cowered before him, broken by his anger.

"He does this often…" Ralon said darkly.

"What did she _do_?" Kiota asked.

"Probably nothing. He has these fits of rage… it doesn't take much to set him off."

Kiota frowned and started towards them.

"Where are you going?"

Kiota shrugged. "Sometimes you _cannot_ proceed carefully. Sometimes you have to just _do _it."

"I'm _sorry_!" she cried, holding her head where Lero had struck her.

"YOU WILL ADRESS ME AS _KING_!" he screamed as he pinned her shoulders to the ground.

"P-please…" she forced out difficultly as he pressed down on her throat. The crowd that had gathered around her stared with sadness. They knew that there was nothing they could do; to fight would mean incurring the king's wrath, and effectively Toyo's. There was nothing they could do except pray that she would be alright.

"You've had this coming for a long time!" he hissed. "Don't pretend like you don't _deserve_ it!"

He pressed down harder on her throat, effectively closing the airway. She tried to gasp for air, but none could get through. Suddenly the weight was gone. She coughed and rolled into a small ball in an attempt to recover before the king returned with another attack. She blinked in surprise as the attack never came. She looked up to see her surrounding pride members staring with shocked eyes. She followed their line of sight to see their cruel king on the ground a short distance away. Over him stood a lion; the same lion that she had seen murder their beloved king.

"What are you doing Kiota?" Lero asked with a mix of confusion and anger as he rose to his feet.

"I'm doing what I always do… _challenging the king."_

"What? Why? You're already the best; what does it prove to fight me?"

Kiota allowed a small smile to cross his face. "For once, this isn't about me at all." He glanced to his side and made eye contact with the battered lioness as a few others helped her away. She stared at him confusion, but he could pick out a small glimmer of hope in her dark pupils.

"_Them?_" Lero asked with surprise before chuckling slightly. "I never thought that I would see the day when the mighty Kiota would get a _soft_ spot for the pathetic fodder of Toyo's armies."

Kiota just shrugged. He didn't care what Lero thought.

"It's _pathetic!"_ he spat.

Ralon took a step forward. "Enough, Lero. _You're done here_."

The pale lion blinked. "_Are you going back on our deal, Ralon?"_ he said dangerously in a near whisper.

"Yes, I am. I won't allow you to rip our family apart."

Lero frowned darkly. "You're making a _big_ mistake. You will all _die_ for this." He turned to Kiota. "Starting with _you…_ I'm beginning to wonder if you can still even _fight_ after becoming so _pitiful_."

"I'd love for you to find out for yourself." The rogue said casually.

"With _pleasure!_" he growled angrily before lunging out at him with his claws outstretched.

Kiota ducked under the flying lion and lifted himself up sharply, striking him in the underbelly and knocking the wind out of him. Lero fell away but rose quickly despite the blow, his anger giving him strength. He roared loudly and swung at Kiota's face, but the strike was easily blocked and Kiota's other arm made swift contact with the pale lion's neck. He gasped in shock as he felt hot liquid pour down his shoulder and arm. He staggered back, his eyes never leaving Kiota's. His anger had only helped him so much, and in the end he had fallen short.

"Still think that I'm weak, Lero?" Kiota whispered softly to the dying lion as he struggled to keep his balance.

He tried to respond, but only a soft gurgle came from his throat before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell onto the reddish dirt below him. The dull thud of the body hitting the ground made all the observers wince. Then they all just stared at the body. _He was dead_.

Ralon looked to Kiota. "Well… There's no turning back now…"

"No… there isn't."

"Ralon…" an older lioness said worriedly as she approached him. "What are you doing? Don't you know what this means?"

He nodded. "It means that we're free again. That we're in control of our _own_ destinies… just like we should be."

"We'll have to go into hiding… We might be found…"

"I know… but we have _him_." He said, gesturing to Kiota.

"_Him?_" she gasped. The others mirrored her reaction. "He's the one that killed your _father!_ Our _king!"_

"I know. And he _will_ pay. Right now though, we need his help, and he's willing to give it."

"How can he help _us?_"

"He knows the lands outside of ours… he can teach us how to be better fighters… but most importantly, he can keep us _safe_."

She shook her head with concern. "I hope that you're right, Ralon… like you said, there's no turning back now."

Ralon frowned as he stared at the body in a daze. "What do we do now?" he asked quietly, seemingly a bit overwhelmed by the event.

Kiota took stepped in between him and the corpse in an effort to snap him back into reality. "What we need to do now, is to get out of here. I doubt that anyone will come looking for Lero anytime soon, and it will be even longer before they send out hunters after you, but the sooner we leave the better."

"Which way?" a lioness asked with concern. "Where will we go?"

"_Every _way."

Ralon blinked. "_What_?"

"Divide up into small groups and head in all directions. That way, there won't be one big trail for them to follow. It will be harder and more confusing for them to find and follow the smaller trail. Is there a nearby landmark or something that everyone will be able to meet up at?"

Ralon nodded slowly as he caught onto the idea. "Uhhh… Yea… There's a small watering hole a ways away that's really off the beaten trail."

"Good. Let's get moving." With that, the rogue turned away and left Ralon to deal with the organization of the pride.

The reinstated king was motionless for a moment as the significance of the situation hit him. _They were free! _He had his throne back, and his pride's fate in his hands. He looked up at his surrounding pride members and was surprised at their expressions. He had expected to see nervous and worried faces, but instead he was lifted by the sheer determination in their eyes. Theirs was a strong and spiritually strong pride, but for too long they had been repressed. For the first time in a long time, Ralon saw not only hope, but a fire in the eyes of his family. _Things were going to be different now._

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The moonlight reflected over the mirror-like surface of the water hole with serene quality. Kiota just stared up at the infinite number of stars that dotted the blackness above; he was finally alone now that Ralon and the rest of the pride had gone to sleep. It had been a difficult few days to get there, but they had finally made it. They had successfully relocated to a safer and more secluded place and left minimal trace of their travel.

"Hey…" he said softly to the blackness that surrounded him. "I've been thinking about you… a lot. I miss you…"

He took a deep breath and lowered his gaze to the water. His reflection stared back at him, and for the first time in a long while he was content with what he saw. Though he wished that ripples would form and he would see the familiar face of his lost friend, he knew that it wouldn't. It was just him now… he was alone.

_No,_ he thought suddenly. _He wasn't alone_. "I wish you would let me know that you are there, Kya…"

The breeze rustled his fur and he sighed deeply. "I need your help now… _they_ need your help. I-"

"Kiota?" a voice called nervously as a reddish-furred lion approached him slowly.

"Ralon…" Kiota replied surprisedly. I- I didn't see you there."

"Were you talking to someone?"

"Just to myself…"

The younger lion nodded slowly. "I, uh… I wanted to thank you…"

Kiota blinked in surprise.

"Thanks… for helping me and my family."

"Does this mean that I've made up for your father?"

Ralon's expression suddenly turned dark. "_No_."

"Right… stupid question."

"_Yea_… and I stand by what I said before; you _will_ face justice for what you did to my father and our family. Just because you're helping us now doesn't mean that what you did can ever be forgiven."

"Agreed."

The two were silent for a moment.

"We can't stay here." Ralon observed slowly.

"I know."

"Where do we go then?"

A small smile crossed Kiota's face. "A valley a few days away from here."

"What? Why?"

"There's a training camp in the valley…"

Ralon's eyes lit up. "We can free the recruits!"

Kiota nodded. "Toyo had made plenty of enemies… we just need to rally them together."

*****Author's Note*****

**Wow, it's weird to think that it has been almost a month since I last updated, sorry for the long wait. I hope that the length of the chapter makes up for it. Please comment, I'd love to hear what you think!**

**-Ben**


	18. Part 3: Chapter 2

*****Chapter 2*****

"Hey, again… I hope that you're still listening." He whispered softly to the sky. "So far, I've been able to manage everything myself, but now I'm not so sure, Kya. I need _help_… I don't know what's going to happen." He paused, as if waiting for some response from beyond the grave. "This is where our future will be determined… and I _cannot_ allow this pride to suffer like yours did. Just… just please… do whatever it is that you guys do up there…"

The lion lowered his gaze from the dark heavens and looked back behind himself at the gathering of lions a ways away. _They were ready_. He made his way over to them, and the low whispers of the crowd quickly faded away. A few nodded respectfully, but most just watched him walk by.

"Where is he?" he asked the closest lioness.

"There." She said briefly, gesturing over to a nearby ridge.

Kiota nodded in thanks and headed over to the spot. He stopped a few feet from where the forest floor dropped off sharply in a daunting cliff. The sheer height of it made even _Kiota_ a bit queasy, but Ralon stood there, ironclad and expressionless as he gazed across the valley. He was focused, quietly intense, and _ready_.

"Are they ready?" the Rogue asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes."

"…Are you?"

"Yes."

"Ralon... I-"

"I don't want to hear it Kiota." He said neutrally before turning away. "Let's just do this and get it over with."

He nodded slowly and fell into step behind him. "Fine… Let's go."

Kiota watched Ralon in silence as he gathered his fellow pride members together. The benevolence of their initial teamwork had quickly worn off as Ralon became more in tune with the change. His hatred for his father's killer was as intense as it had ever been, and he wasn't the slightest bit afraid to show it. Whether it was a harsh remark, a damning glare, or simply just verbally _reminding_ the rogue of his feelings, Ralon never hesitated to express himself. Nevertheless though, he took Kiota's advice willingly and followed his instructions to a tee. He knew that Kiota knew more than he did, and that their survival was wholly dependent on him.

They slunk silently through the woods, and soon broke into the savannah. The dawn was just beginning to break, but the air was still frigid and all the usual life of the land was asleep. Only the lightening sky gave any indication of the coming dawn. The dew that had accumulated on the grasses made them a bit wet and even uncomfortably so, but it _did_ silence their steps greatly. Thanks to the natural environment, the group moved faster and quieter than normal towards the encampment up ahead.

They communicated via body language and gestures that Kiota had taught them. Despite only a few days of instruction, those who had accepted his instruction had greatly increased their skills, both in group-oriented combat as well as single duels. _They were ready for this._

They slowed as they approached the sounds of voices, or _one_ voice to be more exact. They stooped to a near crawl as they pushed aside the long grass near the source of the voice. From what they had seen from atop the ridge, the training camp was just a big field of rocks in the bottom of the valley. The young and unwilling trainees lived and slept in and around the rocks with little protection from the elements. They woke early and were trained by Toyo's officers until late at night; there were only a handful of officers compared to the many younger lions, but they ruled the camp strictly. So far, it wasn't tremendously obvious to Kiota why they followed the officials as well much as they did, but it became clear as they approached the heavily trodden dirt of the camp's parade grounds.

Slowly, the voice became more distinct and the words became clear. "...was given multiple warnings!" boomed an authoritative voice.

Kiota gestured for the team to sink lower to the ground, and they did as he asked. They crept forward with painstaking slowness, but it was necessary at this point. Ralon pushed aside the last bit of grass to see the scene ahead of them.

"He knew the penalty, and it _will_ be enforced!" insisted the speaker, a large dark lion with a sinister look. He was addressing a large gathering of younger fighters, clearly the drafted and unmotivated recruits. They all stood straight and rigid, with the same stony expression that had no doubt been beaten into them. Around their ranks stood several of the trainers, seemingly watching the crowd for any signs of trouble.

"It is a great honor to be here, to be _needed_ and _wanted_ by King Toyo… but when you try to _leave_, it disgraces not only you, but _all_ of us here."

It was then that Kiota noticed the young lion at the speaker's side. Unlike his comrades, he was slouching, the weight of his shoulders seemingly too much for his small body to bear. He looked as if he had been crying, but there were no tears on his face. In essence, he looked broken… defeated… but resilient nonetheless. Whatever he had done, he clearly had no regrets.

"I hope that you all take his punishment as a lesson and learn from his mistake. For him though… _he had his chance._" The statement carried a distinct weight to it.

"The punishment for attempting to escape is, as you all know, _death_." The words were spoken harshly and coldly with enough force to make even Kiota shudder. The thought of the already broken lion, hardly out of cubhood, being murdered by the emotionless keeper just made him nauseous. Such things had been bothering him more and more ever since he had said goodbye to Kya. He found it difficult to ignore the needs and problems of others, no matter how small they were.

"What do we do?" Ralon hissed to Kiota. "They're going to _kill_ him!"

"Take half of the team and circle around… we'll wait here."

Ralon nodded, but looked concerned as he slunk around with his teams. "We need to hurry."

Kiota returned his attention to the crowd of soon-to-be soldiers with his usual focus. The speaker continued on about rules and discipline, but Kiota was more concerned with other things. He counted guards, analyzed how they moved and their balance tendencies. He tried to learn as much as he could about them before…

"Bow your head, _boy_." The dark lion commanded. The teen lion didn't move; an unseen level of defiance which seemed to only enrage the officer further. "_I said bow your HEAD!" _he shouted, striking his victim to the ground.

_Ralon had better be ready._ Kiota thought to himself before nodding to the nearby fighters. "_Let's go."_ With that, he stood to his full height and rushed forward into the clearing, closely followed by the rest of the team.

The nearest of Toyo's officers looked at them with complete shock and surprise. "HEY!" He shouted to his comrades frantically. "THEY- UH… Wha?"

Had the situation been better, Kiota would have grinned at the guard's undisciplined cries. Clearly he wasn't much of a soldier himself, just good at beating young lions into submission. No matter _what_ he was, he went down easy enough under Kiota's weight. He tried to call out to his teammates, but his throat was already ripped out.

Kiota rolled off of the dying lion and released a deafening roar to the stunned crowd. With his claws unsheathed, muzzle covered in blood, and an expression of pure focus and determination, the rogue was a horrifying sight.

The dark lion blinked in shock at the sight, completely forgetting about the execution for a moment. "Uh… GET THEM!" he screamed to the crowd of young recruits after a moment's hesitation. Though a few among the crowd took a step towards the attackers out of habit, they quickly stopped. Many looked at the others next to him with uncertainty and the low rumble of countless murmurs filled the air.

The other guards that were standing around looked at each other worriedly, but their attention was quickly drawn to a few of their friends' screams. From the other side of the parade ground emerged another group of reddish lions who quickly enveloped the nearest of the officers.

Kiota looked to the crowd of young lions and lionesses. "YOU WANT TO BE FREE? NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!" He wanted to wait to see their response, but approaching officers required his attention. He tackled the nearest one to the ground and saw Ralon's pride engaging them as well from the corner of his eye. His tackled victim groaned in pain as the rogue pressed down on his arm, releasing a resounding 'crack' from within. He ducked a blow from another guard and came up under his defense, leading with his forehead and smashing into the lion's jaw. Kiota leapt at the stunned lion as he reeled backwards from the blow and quickly managed to slash across his unsuspecting chest, drawing deep crimson lines as well as a roar of pain. Once he was satisfied with the mortality of the wounds, he looked up for his next opponent.

The large and dark lion who had been serving as both the speaker and executioner stood over him, his face filled with rage. Kiota braced himself for the blow that was sure to come; he could minimize the damage taken, but there simply wasn't enough time to dodge it completely.

Just as quickly as the dark lion had appeared over him, he was gone. Kiota blinked in surprise to see three teenage lions lashing out at their former master. He growled in anger, but was unable to get up from under them all. The teens had been trained well enough, and he was dead within minutes.

The other officers all stopped for a moment as their apparent leader was killed by his own trainees. A look of fear crossed their faces as the deep rumble of a crowd of inspired lions' growls filled the air. Maybe if the officers only had to fight Kiota and Ralon's team, they would have been able to emerge victorious… but they _weren't_ fighting only them.

The irony did not escape Kiota as he watched the crowd of angry recruits swarm over the remaining guards; they had trained their own killers, they had created their circumstances of their own demise. Roars of guards and recruits filled the air as the battle intensified. Try as they might however, there was nothing that the officers could do to maintain control, let alone survive. They were surrounded, outnumbered, in backpedal, and clearly outmatched by some of their supposed students. It didn't take long for the fight to end.

"Kiota!" a familiar voice called from not too far away.

The rogue turned to face Ralon as he approached. His already reddish fur was stained a deep scarlet in some parts, while mud caked his side in others. The fluidity and composure of his steps showed clearly that it wasn't _his_ blood.

"They've all been taken care of. We've secured the camp."

"How do you know that you got all of the guards?"

"A few of the recruits helped us out. They've accounted for all of them."

Kiota nodded slowly. "Are there any issues with the recruits themselves?"

"None that I can see… They just seem pretty happy to be free and… Well, _normal_ despite everything."

"Are they willing to help us fight against Toyo?"

"It looks like it; a few may refuse, but I think that the anger towards the king is pretty unanimous."

Kiota found himself in a strange daze… almost lightheadedness. "Good…" Ralon turned to leave, but Kiota wasn't done. "Ralon…"

"What?"

"…Good job."

A frown fell across his face. "I don't _want_ your gratitude, Kiota." With that, he turned away and started off towards a group of newly freed recruits; one of whom had apparently taken on the role as spokesman for his comrades.

Kiota watched the blood splattered lion left his presence. He felt a heavy sigh left his lungs involuntarily. The rising sun caught his eye. "_He reminds me of you, Kya." _He whispered to the cool air as a smirk split across his face. "_You're enjoying this aren't you?"_

*****Author's Note*****

**Another week, another chapter. I'm getting ready to start wrapping up this story (over the next several chapters) and I've got two ideas for future stories. One is of course with the lion king and you can read about it on my profile page, but the other is an all original story of my own creation entirely. It will likely be published on "" rather than this site for obvious reasons and be in the action genre. If I did that, how many of you would follow it? I'm just curious because I know that fictionpress stories get FAR less reviews than Fanfictions, and I would really like some feedback on it.**

**-Ben**


	19. Part 3: Chapter 3

*****Part 3*****

*****Chapter 3*****

It is a common misconception that forests are quiet places. True, they _can_ be, but most of the time they are deafening with the infinite calls and cries of the wildlife. Matrane, the strong, cold, and cunning leader of Toyo's Eastern Forces was ready to commit suicide out of sheer irritation.

"GET THOSE WORTHLESS PIECES OF SCUM _MOVING_!" he shouted at his subordinates, who cowered at the angry bellow. "I WANT TO GET _OUT_ OF THIS PLACE, AND _FAST_!"

The outburst effectively sent the entourage of soldiers into a frenzy as they all began to push, strike and force the new recruits into moving faster.

"Tired of this place, Sir?" a leopard asked the officer with vague amusement.

"It's just too _insanely_ NOISY! I wish these trees would all _burn_ and the birds would be _permanently_ silenced!"

The leopard snorted with vague amusement as he watched over the proceedings of the unit. "Well, once we get these new recruits to the training camp, we can leave the forests for a while. We haven't recruited from the Plains Prides in a while."

"I suppose… but these new fighters are _terribly_ unmotivated! They won't even _crawl_ without a little… _provocation_."

"But it _is_ quite amusing, Sir."

Matrane chuckled sinisterly. "It is."

"SIR!" came a call from farther up the path.

Matrane turned with rage to the approaching team of soldiers. "I THOUGHT THAT I TOLD YOU TO GO MAKE CONTACT WITH THE CAMP! THERE IS NO WAY THAT YOU FINISHED SO QUICKLY!"

"But S-sir…"

"I DON'T WANT EXCUSES; I WANT YOU TO FOLLOW MY ORDERS!"

"The camp is gone sir…" he replied in a small voice.

Matrane froze. "What?"

"All the officers are dead… and the recruits are gone…"

Matrane swore angrily. "That's the fourth one this month! I thought that they were receiving reinforcements!"

"They did… they were dead too."

The leader was silent for several moments as he tried to plan his next move.

"There's something else, Sir."

"What is it?"

"We found _them_." He replied, gesturing to the still arriving troops. In the center of their team was a small grouping of lions and lionesses, clearly not part of Toyo's army.

"Who are they?" Matrane asked curiously.

"It's a pride from the other side of the mountains… they won't say why they're here."

"Stop the formation", he commanded the leopard. "I want to _talk_ with our new friends…"

The leopard nodded and went off to halt the troops and their now burdensome prisoners. Matrane approached the captured pride slowly, examining them with vague curiosity. It was mostly made of lionesses and younger lions, who no doubt were soon to be sent to a training camp. They all shared a similar appearance; tired, weak, and scared. Even the few adult males were seemingly terrified of the surrounding soldiers.

"Why are you here?" Matrane asked them slowly.

Silence.

"I'm afraid that if you don't begin to speak, I will begin to kill you one by one." He stated bluntly with a tint of boredom, effectively widening a few eyes in the pride.

They still remained silent.

Matrane sighed irritably. "_Fine_." With that, he grabbed the nearest lioness aggressively and slammed her down onto the ground, drawing cries of fear from the younger lions. He raised his paw, claw unsheathed, over his head and took a moment to revel in the lionesses fear. It satisfied him deeply.

"We're here to find the rebellion!" cried a young lion, still a cub.

Matrane froze for a moment before releasing the terrified lioness. "_What did you say?_" he said slowly as he approached the now trembling cub.

"W-we… were trying to find Kiota's Army…" he squeaked in fear.

The officer was silent for a moment. "You were attempting to join forces with the _rebellion_?"

The cub was silent. "Please… we're _sorry_."

Some of the soldiers snickered in amusement and anticipation. In Toyo's empire, treachery was _always_ punished by a slow death.

"What makes you think that Kiota's Army is _this_ way? They already took out the training camp, what else would they want from here?"

One of the lionesses temporarily shed her fear and looked at the officer in the eye. "Maybe he was waiting for _you_." She replied icily.

Matrane laughed; an unpleasant sound to say the least. "Please! He wouldn't dare attack a force this size!"

"SIR!" came a stressed call.

The leopard approached his leader quickly. "Sir, we've got a problem."

"What now?" Matrane groaned.

"Some of the guards on the edges of the formation are missing."

"WHAT? How many?"

The leopard hesitated for a moment, clearly afraid of the lion's reaction. "Nine." He replied in a small voice.

"Send out search parties in the directions where they were last seen! I want them _found!_"

The leopard nodded and turned away. Suddenly he froze. "Sir…"

"WHAT NOW?"

"Listen!"

Matrane stopped for a moment. "I don't hear anything!"

_"Exactly!"_

The officer blinked in surprise. _It was dead silent_. All the deafening noises of the forest that had been driving him insane were now silent. It was as if the woods itself was anticipating something. "I changed my mind; don't send out the search parties. Keep everyone close and set up a perimeter; I do _not_ want to be surprised by _anything_!"

"_Too late._" A low voice hissed.

All heads snapped to their rear. There stood an angry looking lion; his fur stained a dull red and his eyes full of focus. Behind him, a small army materialized from the foliage, each warrior sharing his expression.

The formation erupted into chaos around them, swarms of lions bursting from the forest from all directions, catching the soldiers completely off guard. Some were killed before they could even stand up, others managed to put up a fight only to be defeated by the countless rebels. The silence of the forest had been abruptly ended, being effectively replaced by the roars, growls, and screams of combat. It didn't take long for the reluctant recruits to take advantage of the situation and turn on their captors. There was nothing that the soldiers could do. They were all dead, and they all knew it.

Matrane roared angrily. "YOU DARE ATTACK US? WE ARE THE KING'S PRIMARY FORCES!"

The red lion just grinned. "Yea, I can see how well _that's_ working out for you guys."

"DON'T _MOCK_ ME, SCUM! I WILL TEAR YOU TO _PIECES_!"

"Yea, you just _try_."

"I AM MATRANE; I HAVE BEEN TRAINED BY THE GREATEST FIGHTERS IN THE KINGDOM!"

"I am Ralon," the red lion replied, seemingly taking extreme pleasure in the officer's unyielding rage. "And I have been trained by _Kiota_."

Matrane frowned, temporarily stunned. _Maybe he wasn't as well off as he thought he was_.

"Chances are, he's probably _killed_ a few of your teachers."

The comment enraged Matrane, and he growled dangerously. Without much planning, he lunged out at the Ralon with his claws outstretched. _He was going to punish this piece of slime!_ Just as he was ready to close his talons around the red-furred lion, he disappeared. Matrane blinked in surprise as he grabbed open air and almost fell flat on his face before he regained his balance. He whirled around, ready to strike at Ralon.

'_Whap!' _He reeled back, stung by the sharp blow. A small trickle of warm blood made its way down his cheek. The officer roared in defiance and lunged out at his opponent; he was a bit more conservative with his blows, wary of being thrown off guard again.

Despite his more careful attacks, Ralon still had no problem with the fight. He ducked under swipes and blocked solid blows that were easily strong enough to knock an inexperienced fighter to the ground. Try as Matrane might, he simply could not land a blow on the younger and apparently better-trained rebel. Suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, a paw tripped his own and he fell flat on his back, effectively knocking the wind out of him. He gasped for air, expecting a finishing blow, but it never came.

"Don't get up." Ralon said quietly. "It's over."

"It is _not_ over!" Matrane hissed as he slowly rose to his feet, glaring furiously at Ralon.

The fire in the Rebel's eye was gone as he looked over Toyo's Officer. "_Don't_, Matrane. Look around you." His voice had lost the bite that it had held only a few moments before.

Despite his rage, Matrane obeyed his opponent. He glanced around warily, expecting an attack from one of the surrounding rebels. _Surely one of his subordinates would step in if he was suddenly mobbed_. He blinked in surprise as he realized the truth. _They weren't there._ None of them were there. He gazed across the forest floor with a stunned gaze. His soldiers were gone; _all of them_. The new recruits were milling about, mixing with the rebels as if they were long time friends. The wounded were being cared for and food was being distributed. Upon closer inspection, he noticed _some of his own troops_, who had seemingly joined forces with the rebels. _Those TRAITORS! _ He thought furiously.

"It's over, Matrane." Ralon said quietly. "Surrender and you _will_ be treated well."

The officer growled in defiance. _"I… will… NEVER… surrender."_

Ralon attempted to try to reason further, but it was to no avail. He was only barely able to dodge the next few attacks that Matrane launched. The officer was getting tired and sloppy as a result. Despite this, however, it was clear that he meant what he had said. _He wasn't going to give up_.

The younger lion ducked under a swing and spun sharply with his claws extended before leaping away from the older's attacks.

Matrane gasped at a sharp stinging sensation before he blinked in confusion at Ralon's movement. He looked down, to see a small cut on the inside of his arm near the ribs. _It was tiny_.

He chuckled slightly. "And what was _that, _kid?"

Ralon didn't blink. "I'm sorry… I wish you hadn't made me do that…"

Matrane just stared incredulously at the rebel before replying sarcastically. "If _that_ was your interpretation of finishing me off, then I'd just _love_ to what the _mighty_ Kiota is teaching you all."

_It was strange_, he thought. _Everyone looked so…solemn._ It was as if they all thought that it was _over!_ Matrane knew it wasn't, he still had plenty of fight left in him! He growled and took a step forward to begin his next barrage of attacks.

As soon as he moved his arm, a wave of dizziness and nausea swept over him. The spell was so powerful that he struggled to stand. Ralon just watched with slight pity as the Officer looked down at his wounded arm which was now bleeding profusely. The blood came out in waves, no doubt corresponding with his slowing heartbeat.

"W-what did… y-you do…" he said with difficulty, clearly disoriented by the blood loss. He staggered forward, but his balance was gone.

"I sliced your artery… sometimes you don't feel its effects until you try to move."

Matrane just stared blankly, his eyes focusing in and out as the wound began to take its toll. "Y-you… I'll… you…" he mumbled incoherently as he teetered back and forth. As Ralon was expecting, his legs suddenly collapsed from underneath him, and the officer fell onto the hard ground with a resounding 'thud', kicking up a significant amount of dust into the air. His eyes slowly lost their focs completely and his breathing slowed to a stop. Aside from a few muscle twitches and spasms, it was clear that the beast was dead.

The surrounding lions and lionesses were silent for a moment as the corpse lay motionless on the ground. It was funny how the officer quickly lost significance as a dead body. There were plenty of casualties all over the place; this one was no different from anyone else. After a few moments passed, the crowd of observers began to disperse. Only the renegade pride remained.

"T-thank you…" one of the older lionesses said as she stepped forward. "We were looking for you…"

Ralon forced a weak smile. "I'm glad that you found us."

The younger lion looked up at him with wide and eager eyes. "We want to _fight_ with you!"

"I thought as much…" he looked across the land for a moment, scanning the many faces in the rebellion. "There's a lioness over there with the black muzzle; her name is Ifa. She can help you get adjusted into our family."

"Family?"

Ralon nodded. "We don't fight alongside strangers. We are all one family, for better or worse."

The newly accepted pride gleamed with happiness. "Thank you…" they said again before heading towards Ifa.

The red-furred lion nodded in acknowledgement and watched them go. As soon as they left, however, his attention returned to Matrane. The fact that he had not been killed in the heat of battle troubled Ralon greatly. Ralon sighed deeply as he stared at the still bleeding corpse. It was remarkable how much blood had been spilled by that one simple slice. He lifted his head slowly as he sensed a familiar presence alongside him.

"What do you want, Kiota?" he said dryly.

"Just observing is all…" the rogue said softly. "You did well, Ralon."

"I killed him… And I didn't need to."

"Yes, you did, he wasn't going to surrender. I'm glad that you feel bad though."

"Why?"

Kiota looked up at the sky. "It shows that you haven't lost your morality… it's an easy thing to lose in war. You did well."

"Yea, I'm sure that you could see just _great_ from where you were standing all the way _back there!_"

Kiota shrugged. "We talked about this already… You need more experience on the front lines."

The red-furred lion growled and spun around to face his father's killer with a fire in his eyes. "Yea, but _YOU_ are the leader here; _YOU_ are the heart of this rebellion, and _YOU _should be the one at the front of the attack!"

A lioness approached the pair at a brisk pace. "Sir," she began hurriedly. "We've got a bunch of fighters that need more urgent care than we can give them here."

Kiota carefully hid a smile as Ralon took over the issue.

Ralon nodded. "There's a small pride not too far from here; I'm sure that they will be able to offer us some help. Get them mobilized and we'll head out as soon as we can."

She nodded and turned to go prepare the wounded.

Ralon turned back to Kiota with the anger back in his eyes. "There's a reason why they're calling it _Kiota's _Rebellion." With that, he stormed off to occupy himself with some of the many important matters that had arisen during the battle.

**(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

The night had fallen quickly over the savannah and Kiota's army was busy recouping from the conflict. Though they had suffered some casualties, their numbers had still swollen significantly from the renegade pride as well as from the liberated recruits. Those who were not tending to the wounded or planning the army's next move were celebrating yet another victory. The local pride had been more than willing to provide assistance to their forces; Toyo had made an enemy out of nearly all of the lions who had heard his name.

Kiota watched the celebration intently with vague amusement. He remembered back to his travels with the Vita mercenaries and Shinmen. They had celebrated often and with little restraint. There had been fights and craziness and drama and unbelievable noise. He smiled as he looked over his rebellion's celebration; it was nothing like the mercenaries'. There were no fights or arguments or eve much noise. It was just a bunch of friends and teammates that had gathered together to enjoy each other's company. Unlike the mercenaries who celebrated because they might die the next day, the fighters before him celebrated because they had all made it through another fight together. They celebrated because they were all doing what they _wanted_ to do to fight what they _knew_ was wrong. Where the mercs had fought for their own self indulgence, these noble warriors were fighting for each other, their families, and those who could not fight for themselves.

It made the veteran fighter smile, but nothing more. He did not engage in the joyfulness or the laughter. He only watched for a few minutes longer before pulling away and walking off on his own. The stars shone crisply in the black canopy that they hung in, their brightness unhindered by the humidity.

"I'm pretty sure that you're watching me, Kya…" he said to the heavens. "I don't have much else to explain how well we've been doing. Thanks for the help…"

He sighed deeply as he considered his next words. "I wish you were here… I really don't know what I'm doing, and you were always so good at dealing with others. Ralon is doing well in running things, but I don't think that he understands what I'm doing yet. He still hates me and can't see much beyond that."

A gentle breeze rustled his fur. "Something's coming, Kya…" he whispered softly. "I can sense it. Toyo has left us alone up until now, but he won't for much longer. We're becoming too dangerous; he's going to try something aggressive."

He paused a moment as he thought about the prospect of a direct confrontation with Toyo's Army. "I have faith in my troops… in Ralon… in _you… _but I still feel uneasy. Something's coming and I want them to be ready… ready in case something happens… to _me._"

*****Author's Note*****

**Like I said before, this story is coming to a close within the next couple of chapters and I want to thank all of you for sticking through this story. To all of you who reply anonymously, thanks for your support, it really means a lot to me.**

**My sympathies go out to NalaNay and the whole issue surrounding her. A loss of a great contributor to this site, and I hope she returns.**

**At this time, I'd like to direct your attention to my newest story, "**_**In need of a Hero." **_**Whenever I near the end of a story, I like to start the next one to draw a little bit of attention to it, (you all know how it can take a while for new stories to get off the ground.) Visit my profile for a brief summary, or go right to the story.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Ben**


	20. PArt 3:  Chapter 4

*****Part 3*****

*****Chapter 4*****

It was nice… the cool air, the calm breeze. The distinct fragrance of the many wildflowers was subtle, but solidly noticeable. Kiota took a deep breath of the humid air and pushed aside the grass that blocked his path. He smiled softly as he gazed at the newly revealed pool of water. Its mirror-like surface reflected the purple sky with vivid clarity and the light mist that it was producing rolled across the ground in waves.

The rogue took a few steps towards the water, his footsteps seeming to resound loudly in comparison to the dead silence around him. He leaned over the pool and gazed at his lucid reflection. For the first time, he was satisfied with what he saw. The lion in the water was one that he understood fully, not the killer that he had doubted before. Also unlike before, the reflection didn't change. There were no more images of long-dead victims or disturbing violence. It was just him.

He sighed softly. He almost _wanted_ to see them it meant that he could see Kya_…_ He missed _her_. "I wish I could see you again Kya…" he whispered to the water.

There was no noise to attract his attention, not even a soft breath, yet for some reason he looked up. He _sensed_ something… _familiar_. Kiota inhaled sharply as he gazed across the water.

_"Kya?"_ his heart nearly stopped beating. _It was her!_

The lioness smiled softly at his confusion. "Hey Kiota…"

"W-what… h-how…" he stammered. "Are you still…"

"Yea... I'm still _dead_." She responded with vague amusement. "I wanted to see you."

Kiota frowned slightly with apparent disappointment and looked at the water that separated them. _He wanted to be closer._ "Can you come over here to my side?"

She smiled that impeccable smile again. "No. I can only talk."

He nodded. _It was better than nothing_. "I've been talking to you a lot lately."

Kya nodded. "I know. I've been listening. We all have."

"_We?_"

The lioness laughed slightly at his confusion; it was such a pleasant sound. "I think that a friend of yours said it best when he said that there are a _lot_ of us who are quite interested in your future. You have changed everything, Kiota… it has not gone unnoticed."

He snorted. "It doesn't make up for everything else, though…"

Kya shrugged. "Perhaps it did, perhaps it didn't. I'm not allowed to tell you either way."

"I didn't think that you could… why haven't you come back before now?"

"You needed time to find yourself."

He nodded. Though he didn't like it, he knew that she was right.

"There's something that I need you to know, Kiota."

His ears perked up at her remark. "What?"

"You need to know that _you have time_."

Kiota blinked. "What? What do you mean, _I have time_?"

Kya smiled softly. "Take care of yourself, Kiota. _Goodbye_."

His eyes widened. "Wait, _you're leavi-"_

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Kiota's eyes snapped open from his dream and he stared up into the dark sky. He growled irritably at the suddenness that it had ended with. There was so much more that he wanted to _say_… _to ask_. Now it was just him… alone… _again._

But then again, perhaps it was just a dream. A creation of his own sub-conscious and ultimately meaningless. _No_, he decided. It was more than that. _It was her_. But what did she mean _he had time?_ It didn't make sense. _Time for what?_

The rogue rolled over and tried to return to sleep in the hopes of returning to see Kya again, but it was to no use. He was awake, and he was seemingly destined to remain so. With a grunt, he lifted himself from the hard ground that he had been using as a bed, and began a slow walk through the camp.

The sleeping lions and lionesses seemed so peaceful in their unconscious states. He knew that many had either been on the run when they had joined, or were facing imminent danger from Toyo. Being in such a large group like this was much more comforting than being alone in a world full of dangerous kings. Here they were surrounded by friends, by comrades who shared their grievances and were willing to fight to change it all.

Now, in the early morning hours of darkness, most were still asleep. Cubs snuggled close to their parents and mates embraced each other warmly, thankful for not being torn apart by Toyo's recruitment. Those who _were_ awake were silently observing the surrounding foliage. Most would dislike the role of sentry, but here in the rebellion it was a crucial part of their existence. It was an honor that many of the younger fighters strived for. As he walked past, the guards nodded to him respectfully. All was quiet except for on a small hill overlooking the savannah.

Kiota looked up to see the expected group of lions atop the knoll. Of the handful of leaders, Ralon's voice was the most pronounced. Kiota slowly climbed the hill, still tired and wishing that he could sleep.

"Kiota?" Ralon asked with surprise as he looked up from his conversation with the other leaders of the Rebellion. "What are you doing here?"

The rogue shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. How are the plans coming together?"

Ralon sighed irritably. "We're having trouble deciding which route is the best… it's tough with _them_ right on our tail." He said, gesturing off into the distance.

Kiota nodded and looked across the plains to a dark spot off in the distance, barely perceptible in the early hours of the morning. The dull gray color of the sky created _just_ enough of a contrast for Toyo's camp to be seen. They had been following the rebels for several days now, drawing closer each day.

A dark-furred lion stepped forward. "We can't outmaneuver them, its impossible."

Ralon nodded in agreement. "They have the advantage of being made up solely of soldiers. We have too many that are either too young or too old."

"We can't keep running from them."

Ralon growled. "We can't _fight _them either. They just have too many fighters… and we don't have the element of surprise like we usually do."

Kiota nodded, but continued to look out at the opposing army. It was clear even from the large distance between them that they were outnumbered. Despite all of this, however, Kiota struggled to hide a smile. _Toyo was scared_, as he should be. His armies had been pelted with ambushes and attacks to the point where he could hardly even transport his forces (let alone recruit more fighters) for fear of being attacked along the way. Hell, so many of his common troops had deserted him, he had been forced to hire countless mercenaries and rogues to his cause. At this point, his army was made up almost completely of only those who sincerely _wanted_ to be there. In addition, it was surely Toyo _himself_ who was leading the campaign. Failed generals had tried his nerves too many times; he was taking things into his own hands.

"What are our options?" Kiota asked them.

Ralon was quiet for a moment as he contemplated the question. "No matter what we do, we're going to have to deal with the cliffs that we're heading towards. When we get there, we have two options. We could try to climb the steep cliffs and get to the plains on top of them, or we could follow a deep ravine deep into plains and climb the cliffs at the shallower incline farther down."

The dark lion interjected again. "I doubt that we will be able to get everyone up the cliffs; it's just too steep and we're burdened by the old and young. Toyo will catch up to us before we can get anywhere _close_ to the top."

Ralon growled. "I don't know if we have a choice…"

"What about the ravine?"

The red-furred lion shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, the path through the ravine is faster, easier, and will likely put us ahead of Toyo… it's just…"

Kiota looked at him quizzically. "Just what?"

"There's a huge dam of old logs at the end of it, right after we would be climbing out of the ravine. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but it's been raining over there for the past week. The water behind the dam is dangerously high and the scouts think that it will break any day now."

"You think that we will be killed if the dam breaks and we're in the ravine?"

"There's no way that we would survive. There's a _lake_ behind that dam."

Kiota leaned back. "So we could either try to climb a steep slope and likely fall short, or race against the clock and try to get out of the ravine before the dam breaks."

Ralon thought for a moment. "Yes. Personally, I think that we should go for it."

The dark lion snorted. "I don't like the idea of climbing the cliffs, but to go down the ravine is _suicide!_ We don't have enough _time!_"

Kiota blinked. _Time. They didn't have enough time._ "No…" he began slowly, drawing all eyes to him. _'You have time, Kiota.'_ "We have time."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me… We have time. We'll go through the ravine." With that, the rogue turned away and headed back to where he had been trying to sleep. _Maybe now he could return to his dream._

"Kiota!" Ralon called as he caught up to the Rogue.

Kiota stopped to wait for him to catch up. "Yes, Ralon?"

"What was _that_ all about?" he asked incredulously. "Do you know something that we_ don't?_"

"No… it was just a gut feeling."

Ralon just stared. "This is kind of important to base solely on a _gut feeling_, Kiota."

"Do you disagree with me?"

The lion shifted uncomfortably. "No… and I know that you haven't led us astray in the past… but still. _What if the dam breaks?_"

"You know the answer to that. But it won't. _We have time_."

Ralon shook his head. "Fine… but we're playing a dangerous game here."

"Agreed." Kiota looked around at the waking camp. The sun was almost up and some were just beginning to rise. "Walk with me?"

The red-furred lion blinked in surprise. "No… thanks, but I'm good."

"Why not?"

"Because I _hate _you, Kiota… _remember?_"

Kiota carefully his a smile. "Humor me."

Ralon growled irritably, but nevertheless fell into step alongside the rogue.

They walked in silence for some time through the camp, responding to various greetings and comments from the waking troops as they went. Kiota was pleased as to the amount of greetings given to Ralon. It seemed as though they almost saw _him_ as the leader of the Rebellion.

"Tell me, Ralon…" he began slowly. "Why haven't you killed me yet?"

Ralon stopped walking. "_What?_"

"You heard me. Why haven't you done it yet?"

Ralon shook his head in disbelief and recovered from his initial shock. "Believe me, Kiota. I _want_ to see you dead… but I also want to beat Toyo."

"You don't think that you can beat him without me?"

"I think that _they_ need you more than _I_ need justice. You're doing too much good for me to justify killing you… not that I _could_ anyways."

"Don't underestimate yourself like that, Ralon. You have learned well and are a great leader around here. You don't seem to understand your importance to everyone."

"I may be a leader, Kiota," ralon scoffed. "But I'm not _the_ leader. I'm not _you_."

"_Thank the kings that aren't_…" Kiota whispered to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just…" he sighed. "Just be ready Ralon. You are more than you know."

"Whatever." He replied bitterly. "I'm going to go get everyone moving. We need to hurry if we're going to beat the dam."

Kiota nodded and watched the younger lion leave. _He just didn't understand…_ Kiota shook his head; Ralon still didn't seem to understand his role in the rebellion. _He didn't_ _get it_. It was alright though, _he had time_.

*****Author's Note*****

**I don't know where you all live, but here it has been snowing for three days straight and four feet of snow has **_**finally**_** cancelled school. Because of this, I've had some time to write! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, it will be coming to an end very soon! Again, check out my new story, "In search of a Hero." Maybe I'll get another chapter up in the next day or so.**

**-Ben**


	21. Part 3: Chapter 5

*****Part 3*****

*****Chapter 5*****

They were moving fast; faster than was comfortable for them. Cubs rode on the backs of their parents and those who fell were quickly helped up. They couldn't stop, not now. Toyo was right on their trail and they were cut off on both sides by vertical canyon walls.

Kiota watched everyone closely for signs of fatigue, though there was little he could do to help them if they did succumb to exhaustion. No, he was just trying to keep himself busy and to not think too much about the dam up ahead. It was a daunting thought; at any moment it could break, and by the looks of the ground it was already leaking. Small streams cut through the dry ground and flowed past their feet in muddy trickles. The dam was full, and from the looks of the sky up ahead, it was still raining over it and only adding to the pressure behind the wall of debris.

Ralon kept stealing nervous glances at him that he didn't think Kiota saw. He was nervous too. _What if the dam broke before they got to the path leading out? _It really wasn't a question, he knew what would happen. They would die. They would be caught by the torrents of cold water and debris and the life would be violently squeezed out of their fragile bodies. Then their corpses would be spewed out at the mouth of the canyon along with logs, stones, mud, and anything else that was unfortunate enough to be caught in the flash flood. There would be no chance of survival for anyone; young or old, sick or healthy. They were all the same in the eyes of the water.

"Kiota." Ralon said quietly as he approached the rogue. "I know there's nothing to do now… but I changed my mind. I think we should have climbed the slope before going in here."

Kiota chuckled slightly. "Getting cold feet?"

"I didn't think that the dam would be this fragile… we're standing in _water_ right now!"

"We have time."

Ralon shook his head irritably. "God, I hope that you are right."

"Me too."

They were silent for a while as they walked. Slowly the massive structure of a dam made of rubble came into view as they turned a slight corner in the canyon. Ralon gaped at its size; it was bigger than he thought it would be.

"Oh, kings…" he swore softly.

"Don't get so nervous, there's the path to get out of here." He tried to reassure the younger lion. Sure enough, a narrow stone path ascended the canyon side at a gentle slope from the opposite direction from the dam. They would have to get directly to the base of the structure if they were to begin the climb out of the pit.

"LET'S GO!" someone yelled out from behind. At first Kiota smiled, thinking that he was just trying to encourage everyone to move faster on this last stretch. His appreciation turned to fear as he looked to the rear of the unit. _They_ were coming.

"WE'VE GOT COMPANY!" shouted the same lion as he tried to hurry those in front of him. Behind him, a group of animals were approaching… _fast_.

They were small cats; mostly leopards and cheetahs but with a few smaller lions among them. There were only a handful of them, but they looked nasty. Their dark eyes were deep holes in their otherwise expressionless faces. _They were ready to kill_.

Kiota turned to Ralon. "Get some fighters and come with me!" he shouted before bolting towards the opposing forces. He dodged his comrades as they ran past in an attempt to outrun Toyo's troops. The expression of fear was clear on their faces.

With a roar, he cleared the last bunch of rebels and found himself in the open ground between his army and the approaching fighters. They came at him fast and Kiota sunk down into a low stance to take on their weight.

The first leopard growled dangerously and launched himself through the air at the lone rogue while a different one came in low.

Kiota ducked under the first attack before agilely leaping over the second. He hit the ground and rolled before meeting a small lion head on. The lighter animal grunted in pain as Kiota landed a heavy blow to his chest. It was only a short movement to then travel up to the throat. The lion gagged and writhed as Kiota sunk his claws into the soft flesh. The sound of approaching steps signaled him to end the fight; he ripped out and the body fell while he turned sharply.

The first leopard swiped out aggressively, but Kiota blocked it easily with his arm before tripping him with his foot. The leopard's eyes widened as he fell to the wet ground with a splash. His eyes widened even more when his abdomen was ripped open by the rogue's merciless claws.

"Kiota!" Ralon cried. "Watch out!"

He looked up in time to see a paw of extended claws flying towards his face. Kiota threw himself backwards off the torn leopard, narrowly missing the blow. He rolled backwards and quickly rose to his feet to prepare for the next challenger.

Before he could take his next opponent on, however, Ralon arrived. He threw himself into the beast with all his force, sending the lighter animal sprawling into a shallow stream. The red-furred lion quickly recovered and leapt on the already downed soldier. It was easy for him to use his heavier mass to hold the opposing fighter's head below the surface of the water until he stopped thrashing.

Kiota looked around urgently for a new opponent, but none were available. The fighters that had accompanied Ralon seemed to have the situation under control and were beating back the small force with ease. The rogue watched as they overpowered the last of the soldiers with ease.

"Well _that_ was easy…" Ralon muttered as he approached.

"They weren't supposed to hurt us, just slow us down." Kiota replied, looking out across the canyon floor. Toyo's army was still coming; they could almost hear their footsteps. The low rumble of the many feet echoed off the canyon walls and intensifying as it traveled, becoming more distinct as they neared.

"It worked." Ralon commented bitterly. "Come on, we need to go _now_!"

He was right. Kiota followed the younger lion back in a near sprint back to the rest of the group. They had reached the base of the leaking dam and were beginning the climb. The slope was gentle enough, but it was narrow; they could only go a few at a time.

"LET'S GO!" Ralon yelled over the crowd in vain but it was little use; there was only so much that they could do to increase their speed. He turned to Kiota. "We need to get out of here! They're coming!"

He was right; Toyo was still coming in at a fast pace. He would likely be there in a matter of minutes. Kiota shook his head; they had time enough for the dam, but Toyo was getting too close. He looked back to his own army, feeling somewhat relieved to see them finally falling into a rhythm. There was less pushing and shoving and a silent order seemed to take over. They all filed up the pathway as quickly as they could with minimal talking. Somehow within a few moments (albeit tense moments), the last of the rebels managed to get their feet on the pathway. Now it was just the leftover fighters with Ralon and Kiota.

Ralon rushed ahead with the rest, but Kiota didn't move. He just stared at the pathway that would lead to salvation.

Ralon turned around when he realized the Kiota wasn't following. "Come on! We need to go, they're almost here!"

_He was right. They WERE almost there._ Hell, they were practically on _top_ of them. "_No_…"

Ralon froze. "_What_?" he hissed. "What do you mean _no?_ They're _here,_ and we need to leave _now!_"

"No, Ralon… they're too close. They'll just follow us up the path and catch up with us on top. It's only delaying the inevitable."

Ralon stared at him incredulously, then to the approaching hostile force and back to the other fighters. "Go!" he told them. "We'll catch up."

They nodded slowly and began to walk towards the path reluctantly. It was clear that they didn't want to just _leave_ them there, but they knew that there was little point arguing with them.

Once they were well on their way, Ralon turned back to his leader. "You aren't making _sense_, Kiota." He said quietly as he walked over to the older lion's side. "Why come all this way if it's all pointless? Why even _start_ a rebellion?"

"You misunderstood me. It's not pointless for _us_ to go, just pointless for _me_ to go. We need more _time!_"

"What are you _talking_ about? How do we get more time?"

Kiota was quiet for a moment. "_I'll give it to you_." He said in a near whisper.

Ralon blinked. "You can't be _serious_… you think that you can hold off an entire _army_ on your own? That's _impossible_!"

"Toyo won't just kill me off the back. He'll want to talk, even if it means losing his losing _you_."

"Yea! Because then it won't matter anymore!" Ralon cried. "Without you, the rebellion is done! _You _are the heart of it all, _you_ hold it all together! If you just throw yourself away like this, everything will be over!"

Kiota smiled, making Ralon even more frustrated. "You're _wrong_." He replied simply. "They will follow the same lion that they have _been_ following. _You._"

"_I_ am not their leader! I can't be the lion that _you_ are!"

"You're _already_ better than me, Ralon. You just haven't realized it yet. Besides, isn't this what you always wanted? Justice?"

"I- I didn't…" Ralon stuttered. "Y-you… but- Not like _this_, Kiota! We need you! _I _need you!"

"I murdered your father."

"You've changed; I _forgive_ you! You don't need to do this just for me!"

Kiota blinked in surprise. Of all the things he had expected to come from Ralon's mouth, forgiveness was not one of them. He looked with amazement as tears began to well up in the young lion's eyes. The normally tough and masculine lion was _crying_! "I'm not doing for _just_ you… I'm doing it for everyone. For you, for me, for your father… _and_ _for a lost friend_. I've got more to pay for than just your family. I've done too much to this world, and I now have the opportunity to fix it. This is the path I choose; the one I _want_."

"Kiota…" he said softly. "_Please!"_

The rogue shook his head. "No. You need the time; there isn't any other way for everyone to get away."

"But-"

"_No_, Ralon. I've trained you. _You_ are the new heart of the rebellion. _You_ are the new leader. I never expected my involvement in this to last very long; I knew that I had to pay eventually. It has _always_ been about you… and I'm so _proud_ of how far you've come."

Ralon nodded slowly. "T-thank you… I'm sorry f-for…" He paused, unable to finish. "For a _lot_ of things."

Kiota was silent. He knew what the younger lion meant. "Go, Ralon. You know what to do, and how to do it. I trust you."

"Thank you, Kiota… _Goodbye_." He replied solemnly in a small voice before turning away, tears falling from his face.

The rogue watched him go, not blaming him one bit when he didn't look back. There was nothing more to see. Ralon got to the pathway and quickly began the climb to catch up to the rest of the fighters. He ascended the trail with his head low and his footsteps strong, leaving in his wake a small cloud of dust from the higher and dryer elevation. He reached the top in due time and looked down the slope with blurred vision at his mentor. Kiota nodded in what he hoped would be an encouraging gesture. The red-furred lion was far away, but Kiota was sure that he was smiling.

He sighed. _That was that_. He returned his gaze to the ground. It seemed so detailed all of a sudden; the small and intricate larger pebbles that lay half buried in the soft sand. The different colors vividly contrasted each other as clear water flowed through intricately formed channels. He smiled softly to himself as he realized the cause of his attention to detail. He knew that this would likely be one of the last times looking at the dirt.

He turned his back to the approaching forces for a moment and analyzed the precariously situated dam that hung over him dauntingly. He heard the soldiers slow their pace hardly twenty yards from him, but he paid no attention. He remained fixated on the dam; it appeared so fragile, yet it was restraining an unimaginable amount of water. It was clear that it would break soon, but he doubted that it would be today. If it had held this long, it was pretty unlikely for it to break now.

"Kiota…" a dry familiar voice began from behind the rogue.

He didn't answer at first. He didn't even move. He knew it was Toyo, and he knew what was coming. Slowly, he turned to face the king and the army behind him.

"I _thought_ that it was you standing here, Kiota." Toyo said smugly as he saw the lion. "It was just a bit difficult to tell from farther away."

Kiota didn't respond. He just stood there with his back to the dam and his side to the pathway. A larger stream of water poured from the base of a protruding log that was jammed into the dam. The water fed a small stream and flowed under his feet before meeting with other streams farther down into the canyon. He didn't blink; he didn't even change his facial expression. Kiota kept his eyes locked onto the vicious king, completely ignoring the mercenaries and soldiers that surrounded him with their teeth bared and growls rumbling from their throats. It was clear that they were hungry for the kill.

Toyo sighed. "What are you doing, Kiota?" he said forlornly. "Are you here in an attempt to negotiate? I might lend you a receptive ear if you play your cards right." He hinted mischievously.

"I'm not here to negotiate with you, Toyo."

"_Please_, Kiota. I think we can work something out. _Every_ lion has his price.

"You're wrong."

Toyo took a step forwards. "I can make you more powerful than you can _imagine_! Servants at your beck and call… beautiful lionesses of your choosing… _anything you want!_ All you have to do is take back what you have done."

"What I've _done_?"

"Yes, the rebellion you started. I want you to _correct _the situation at hand."

A small smile crept across the rogue's face. "That is _exactly_ what I was planning on doing."

Toyo's eyes' lit up in hope. "So you will help us destroy your army?"

"No." Kiota replied icily, his eyes filled with a sharp focus that sent chills down the king's spine. "I'm going to destroy _you."_

Several of the soldiers cocked their heads to the side in confusion. Toyo furrowed his brow. "You can't beat us _all_, Kiota. We'll overpower you in a matter of seconds!"

Kiota was silent. He lowered his eyes to the ground and allowed them to drift. Toyo continued to speak, but he wasn't listening. He inhaled the humid air in the fullest extent that he could before his lungs burned from the strain. He exhaled slowly and closed his eyes.

"_I'm coming, Kya."_ He whispered softly as a gentle breeze swept through his mane and seemed to lift him up. _It was time_. He sunk his hind legs into the soft ground and pushed off with all his might with a massive roar that echoed across the canyon walls. He threw himself not at Toyo, but at the protruding log next to him. He hit the chunk of wood with his full body weight but it hardly moved. The stream of water that had been leaking from underneath it didn't increase flow. Nothing happened.

Toyo's eyes widened. "STOP HIM!"

Kiota was not deterred. With another roar, he threw himself at the log even harder than the first time. He grunted in pain as he felt the hard wood smash his side, perhaps breaking a rib or two. It moved; albeit slightly, but it moved. He grinned slightly and pushed off from the log as he heard a growling beast approaching from behind. He threw himself flat as a larger dark-furred lion flew overhead, smashing into the log with a resounding '_crack!' _The sickening sound appeared at first to be a result of only the lion's skull, but then it became obvious that it had come from the log as well. As the lion fell away in pain from the collision with the solid wood, the stream became visible. It was flowing much more profusely than it had been; it poured from the widened cavity with increasing intensity as more and more mud was stripped away due to the increased speed of the water.

"NO!" Toyo screamed as his troops rushed past him towards the rogue.

Kiota's face fell to a solemn tone as he raced towards the log one final time. He leapt over the fallen dark-furred lion and landed with all of his weight against the log. It slid from its displaced position and opened the water flow even wider. Kiota struggled to maintain his footing as the small trickle evolved into a small _river_. The water moved faster and faster, threatening to throw him off balance as it struck his body.

Many of the soldiers that had originally rushed to attack him were now frozen in fear. Those who _did_ have the courage to approach the foreboding waters were slowed by the power that the liquid dealt.

Kiota looked up from the log. He saw Toyo staring at him with pure hatred, his cruel eyes boring holes into the rogue's hide. He saw countless soldiers and mercenaries running. Some fled up the trail in a vain attempt to get to higher ground while others fled back in the direction that they came as if they would be able to outrun the water when it came.

He looked up the canyon walls to where the bright sapphire sky contrasted sharply with the dark stone walls. A lone figure stood atop the cliffs, his red-stained mane blowing in the breeze afforded by the higher elevation. He watched the event solemnly with respect.

On the other side of the canyon another figure stood. She was a young lioness that stood calmly on the edge. He was hardly close enough to see any details, but somehow her vision cut through the distance. The intensity and focus that was imbued within her irises made him smile to himself.

Kiota closed his eyes and inhaled. _This was it. _He leaned up against the log and pushed with all his might. He ignored the water and debris that sprayed in his face with increasing power. His paws sunk into the mud and he found the needed force within himself. With a final growl, Kiota pushed the log from its place in the dam. It pulled away from its position all together and fell away onto the water-covered ground with a splash. Kiota would have smiled at his work, but a fresh burst of water hit him from behind. He tried to stand, but another log fell from the dam, closely followed by three more and a vast amount of water behind them.

**((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((0))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))**

Motives are an interesting thing because they are naturally imbued in our being. They define us for who we are and why we do what it is that we do. A cutthroat mercenary and a noble soldier each do the same job; they fight. What sets them apart is the reason for the violence. To serve only themselves, or to serve everyone else. It is the same action being preformed, but the purpose is different. Motives are how others define their value; the intent of a decision can be equally important as the decision itself. We all like to think that we are selfless, but are we really? How many of our so-called _selfless_ actions are really done for the praise or image associated with generosity? Do we really want to be selfless, or _appear_ to be selfless? When given the opportunity to make a change, how far will you go to ensure that the best ending is reached? How much will you be willing to sacrifice?

-The End-

*****Author's Note*****

**Thank you all for reading, I hope that you enjoyed the ending that I finally finished. Regarding Part 3, I think that I may have made a mistake or two when I began to work on it. I noticed that reviews sank from around 8 per chapter to 3 per chapter. If you were one of those readers that I lost due to my writing , I apologize. I am currently considering returning to this story after a short break and redoing Part 3 with a new and different plot line.**

**Thanks again for staying with this story for the whole time, I know that it has been long! Please comment, this **_**is**_** after all the final chapter!**

**-Ben**


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